Alfred John Hofstadter

Al was born in New York City to Johanna Yohnie and Alfred Thomas Hofstadter on March 25, 1933 where he enjoyed an adventurous childhood with his many friends. Chalk messages would be written on sidewalks as to what movie they would go to that day. On hot days, they would do free form dives into the East River unbeknownst to their parents until the day their photograph appeared on the front page of the NY Daily News (June 22, 1949).

Al was a very ambitious youth. He would bike to the newsstand and pick up bundles of the NY Daily News and deliver them to New York high rise apartments where many of the “notables” of that Era resided. He would sleep at the Menorah Temple on weekends where he worked in the kitchen along side a survivor of the Holocaust learning food preparation as well as developing life skills of organization, discipline and creativity.

Al entered the US Navy where he traveled the world on the USS Joseph P Kennedy (destroyer) as a Signalman. When he had liberty, he would seek out the best restaurant and enjoy a fabulous meal rather than getting into any “high spirited” behavior.

After receiving an Honorable discharge from the Navy, Al went to work for the J W Wilson Glass company which was a distributor of glass and plastic containers. Al would unload freight cars at the port. Al understood the importance of unloading the freight expeditiously to avoid demurrage charges. His work ethic caught the attention of the company president, Griffen Crafts which lead to Al’s promotion as warehouse manager. Some of Al’s “coworkers” could have been residents of Shawshank Prison. In fact one fellow had spent 9 years behind bars for refusing to “snitch" on someone who was running numbers. Al became lifetime friends with John and his wife Lucy. Al won the respect of his older associates by working side by side with them.

Al always had more than one job. In the 60’s Al was a bouncer on the weekends for Sullivan’s Colonial Tavern, New York. More often than not some of the NY Giants including Frank Gifford would stop in for a drink (s) and eventually they would take to the streets and toss a football. As a season ticket holder, Al attended games when they first played in the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan. Eventually, the Giants moved to their permanent home in Rutherford, New Jersey at the Continental Arena where Al, Susan and their friends would tailgate in the parking lot hours before the game.

In 1987 Al was finally rewarded for his dedication to the team when the Giants faced the Broncos in Super Bowl XXI in Pasadena. In the days leading up to the game, Susan and Al visited Disneyland. There, a NY Daily News photographer approached Susan and asked permission to take her picture with Mickey Mouse in front of the castle. The photograph appeared on the front page of the paper with with the headline: “The Giants slip the Broncos a Mickey” 38 years after Al’s debut on the front page as a teenager.

In 1973, O Berk Company acquired J W Wilson Glass. Al maintained his NY territory where his accounts included such companies who packaged chemicals, food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. He handled high end skin care accounts who catered to the “stars”. His territory also included Mom & Pop stores who distributed tofu, kimchee and soy bean milk in Chinatown.

In 1978 Al and Susan met at O Berk. In 1981 he won Susan’s heart by surprising her with their first Shih Tzu named Kato, Zorro and Oreo soon followed and then Baxter, Bailey and Barrymore. The boys benefited by Al’s love of cooking and him serving their dinner promptly at 5pm.

After working for others for decades, Al took early retirement. Then Al and Susan opened their own distribution business acquiring many of the accounts that Al had serviced as clients. Solely by word of mouth the business continued to grow. As the company achieved the financial goals that Al took pride in setting, they rewarded their employees with bonuses, 401k and profit sharing plans. Susan and Al continued to work together harmoniously for thirty years.

Al loved his four legged children, gardening, cooking, the Giants and the Yankees, old movies the great singers of yesterday, art shows, jigsaw puzzles, great restaurants, a dry Rob Roy straight up with a twist, and a vapor of dry vermouth. Al was extremely generous always overtipping servers. He donated to many charities. He enjoyed helping his family, friends and strangers never expecting anything in return. He continued to take great pride in his appearance remaining debonair to the end.

Al was a dedicated member of Sarasota Baptist Church. He enjoyed arriving early to listen to the praise team practice their music before the first service. His eyes would often well up in tears from the music and the sermons having been moved by the Holy Spirit.

Al leaves behind his wife Susan of 43 years and their seventh Shih Tzu Kobe, Nephew Jason, nieces Caedmon and Heron, and their children and many friends. He was predeceased by his two sons Alfred Thomas and Brian Joseph.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Satchel’s Last Resort and Sanctuary and Wildlife Center of SW Florida.

Al’s celebration of life will be held at Sarasota Baptist Church. Details will be announced at a later date.