Israel M. Livingstone

He was surrounded and admired by family for more than 92 years – nearly 65 of them with his loving and devoted wife Sheila (Adleman) by his side.

Izzy was appreciated and cherished by many, notably his children: Seth Livingstone and wife Marcy of Potomac Falls, Va.; Joyce Ford and husband David of Westwood; and Edward Livingstone and partner Janine Rizzo of Bridgewater. He was also adored by his grandchildren: Amanda Towerman and husband Matt, Andrew Livingstone, and Daniel Ford as well as great granddaughter Ella Towerman.

In addition to Sheila, Izzy also leaves two sisters: Marcia Fineberg of Lakewood N.J. and Norma Silber of Philadelphia, in addition to many nieces and nephews.

The son of Abraham and Pauline Livingstone, Izzy was born in Cambridge, spending his Depression-era childhood in Somerville and graduating from Somerville High School in 1944. His family would take pleasure in escaping the summer heat with extended visits to Lake Massapoag in Sharon.

Izzy’s father was in the taxi and limousine service operating a small fleet out of Central Square in Cambridge. Izzy supported the family business as a mechanic and put his love for everything automotive to use when he joined the U.S. Army in 1945. Serving in Germany, he was assigned to motor pool and logistic services and, for a time, supported USO services that provided entertainment for soldiers in the field.

Izzy returned to the States and, after a year of college, to the taxi business. He eventually went to work for his father who had transitioned into the business of training, breeding and racing thoroughbred horses. Izzy became a jack-of-all trades, supporting operations at the family’s Cherry Oca Farm in Framingham Mass. where he extended his knowledge of automotive horsepower to the equine variety.

Always hard-working, entrepreneurial and pragmatic, Izzy made the best decision of his life during that period when he met and married the love of his life Sheila Adleman, a girl from Boston’s West End who would become his most ardent companion, partner and supporter for more than 64 years.

Together they raised three children, starting out in a triple-decker apartment in the Dorchester section of Boston, then moving to Stoughton – at the time a burgeoning suburb known for its strong school system. There they bought a 60-year-old Victorian-style house in disrepair on a 2.7-acre parcel of land. It was hardly Shangri-La, located between a large cemetery and an auto junkyard, but it would become a home of joy and celebration as well as their business location for 57 years.

In many ways Izzy was an American success story. Starting from scratch he established an auto parts and recycling business that grew and eventually prospered. It wasn’t easy. For more than a decade he also worked a variety of part-time and full-time jobs, often just scraping by to put food on the table. He worked as a clerk for a clothing manufacturer in Roxbury, sold shoes evenings and some weekends in Roslindale, worked for a machine shop in Brockton, had a stint as a postal worker, and for many years drove cabs for Veterans Taxi in Stoughton – all to support his family.

It was a family in which he took great pride. His eldest son Seth was born in Dorchester, as was his daughter Joyce. The youngest, Eddie, was born after the family moved to Stoughton. Seth became involved in the auto parts business, generally caring for customers while buying and selling vehicles and parts. Eddie was even more hands-on in the contributing daily to the sales and dismantling processes until the business was liquidated. Behind the scenes, Sheila cooked cleaned, handled book-keeping and never took a day off.

But Izzy was the backbone of this business. He was Mr. DIY before DIY became a thing. If a pipe leaked, he fixed it. If brakes needed bleeding, he bled them. No matter how rusty the bolt or how stripped the screw, they were no match for Izzy’s physical strength and ingenuity. He always found a way to get the job done.

His business catered to similar home and auto repairmen who knew they could depend on him for sound advice and a square deal. Central Auto Exchange carried everything from rocker arms and dipsticks to fenders and water pumps to tires and hubcaps – some of which made their way into the family kitchen and living room.

For better or worse, the business – essentially a one-man operation – was all-consuming – not only from 9 to 5 but in the evening when bill-paying, tax preparation and government red tape took precedent. Although rarely taking time off, Izzy and Sheila did manage family trips to Maine and New Jersey and vacations to Puerto Rico, Martinique, Pennsylvania, Florida and Las Vegas as well as a 25th anniversary trip to Bermuda.

Closer to home, Izzy and Sheila always found time to share holidays and special occasions with family – most often with sister Marcia and her husband Bernie Fineberg and with Sheila’s sisters Ida Reinherz and Honey Miller and their families. The Livingstones also enjoyed get-togethers with the Socialite Couples Club, made up of long-time friends and their spouses in Eastern Mass.

Izzy was a member of the Knights of Pythias in Stoughton and the Auto Recyclers of Massachusetts. He and Sheila were also longtime members of Ahavath Torah Congregation of Stoughton – reflective of Izzy’s Jewish roots and the emphasis that he and Sheila placed on the education of their family.

Izzy truly understood the value of education, the value of a dollar, the value of humor (“so are you workin’ hard or hardly workin?’ he’d often ask) as well as the value of treating people around him the way they deserved to be treated. He made certain that his children and grandchildren had the resources necessary to further their education and follow their dreams.

Family long urged Izzy to leave Stoughton and the strain of the business behind. Some suggested he move to Florida. At one point Izzy and Sheila co-owned property on Cape Cod which could have provided a retirement home. But retirement wasn’t in the cards for Izzy. His work was a passion and he continued to operate his business into his 89th year when he and Sheila moved to Heights Crossing in Brockton.

Izzy stayed in touch with his family and took incredible pride in his family. In his final years his conversations were never about himself but would always include these simple yet telling words: “How are you? How are the kids? Everyone’s alright? That’s the important thing.”

Izzy Livingstone didn’t smoke and seldom took a drink. He rarely drove fancy cars or wore fancy clothes. He was just as happy with frozen pizza, pea soup and fig bars on a Saturday night as he was with a sirloin steak and apple pie. But neither the richness nor the sweetness of his life will be measured in dollars or baubles but rather in the love he shared and his legacy of diligence, determination and devotion to family that we shall always remember. And as Izzy would always say in closing: Zay Gezunt.