Albert Haimes

Born Albert Irwin Haimowitz on October 27, 1927 in Lake Worth, Florida, Al was the eldest of four children of Morris and Theresa (Bearson) Haimowitz. A month before his first birthday, Al survived the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane underneath the counter of his father’s five & dime store while the roof blew off. At the age of 14, he headed north to Boston to attend the Chauncy Hall School. He remained in Boston enrolling at MIT in the mid 1940s. After freshman year, Al was drafted. He proudly served his country in the Office of Strategic Services, gathering intelligence in Germany at the tail end of WWII.

Upon discharge, Al returned to Boston and transferred to Boston University, earning a degree in Engineering. He met Edith Ann Schiller and they married in Brookline on June 26, 1949. The young couple settled in nearby Newton to raise their family. Albert joined Edith’s father and brother in their HVAC business, HG Schiller & Company. He kept with it after his father-in-law retired, renaming it Cooling Systems Engineering, continuing to install first generation residential central air conditioning. He simultaneously manufactured cold storage for supermarkets and restaurants, and devised cooling solutions for newly emerging computer rooms.

Al spent endless weekends glued to college football, tennis matches and baseball games. He devoured the WSJ, the Sunday NY Times, spy novels, cocktails and bacon. He and Edie played tennis, collected contemporary fine art and traveled extensively. Al especially enjoyed travel adventures of all kinds. An African photo safari, river rafting through the Grand Canyon, cruising the Galapagos Islands and through the Panama Canal – he even celebrated his birthday twice in one day, flying across the international date line. Albert was profoundly moved during his visit to Holocaust memorials in Europe, and his trip to The Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind. His ongoing support helped build a new dog training facility to improve quality of life for visually impaired Israelis. An honoree on his last trip and accompanied by his ‘Guardian’, daughter Joanne, Al boarded an ‘Honor Flight’ to Washington DC in September 2018. It was a meaningful day filled with enormous appreciation and goodwill for all the veterans visiting the war memorials dedicated to their service.

Al retired at 59, and he and Edie then split their time between Newton and Boca Raton. In 2015 they settled full time in Florida. They met the milestone of their 90th birthdays with a big party surrounded by family and friends. They celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary together the day before he fell ill.

Al was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Harold and Charles Haimowitz, and by many beloved friends.

Left behind to remember him are his wife, Edith; three children, Robert, Howard and Joanne Haimes; two daughters-in-law, Leslie and Amy Haimes; three grandchildren, Michael and Sarah Haimes and Kristen Maher; two great-grandchildren, Connor and Sean Maher; Al’s sister, Joy Jarchower and many Haimowitz family nieces and nephews who adored him. Others, whom Al chose as family, chose him in return. He will be remembered as a kind, loving and extremely generous man to all.

Due to the unusual nature of these times during the coronavirus pandemic, service and burial will be private. Our celebration of Al’s life will be held safely at a future date. In the meantime, please raise a glass to him, a Bombay Sapphire extra-dry martini with enough olives to share with those you love.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Albert’s memory to the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind, 968 Easton Rd. Suite H, Warrington, PA 18976 or a charity of your choice.