Leonard Kulick

Len had a gift for friendship and fun, and he loved to make people laugh. He collected jokes, always keeping a fresh one ready to spring on clients, friends, family and interested strangers. Len was a member of the Bronx Boys, a tight friendship group that grew from 1930s’ childhood street games. The lifelong relationships of the boys who all became accomplished men were captured in the 2003 documentary “The Bronx Boys.” Len was one of the last survivors of the group.

After Len served in the Korean War, he spent several years at Syracuse University. He eventually joined Consolidated Lumber, a business started by his father with a partner. Len worked at Consolidated Lumber for 40 years. His ease with and genuine interest in other people made him a stellar salesman and manager. And he was a whiz with numbers.

Len was a tremendous athlete, gifted with terrific hand-eye coordination. He played tennis into his 80s and golf into his 90s, winning many trophies on the golf course.

Len’s first love was Joyce Gelfman. Joyce was smart and pretty, and she and Len married in 1956. A few years later their son Barry was born, and four years after that, their son Neil. After Joyce’s death in 1999, Len met Razal Robbins, whose kindness and gregariousness matched his own. Len and Razal lived happily together until Len’s passing.

Len was a committed philanthropist and major donor to important causes. And he gave financial support to many people. He was a man of tremendous generosity who would help out anyone in need, even people he did not know very well. Growing up in the Bronx in the 1930s, he knew what was it like to be struggling.

Len had no meanness, no envy. He never thought he was unworthy, nor did he ever think anyone else was unworthy. He was a fixer, and worried about the people he cared about and tried to make their lives better. Len liked, in no particular order: phone calls, being on time (which meant early), birthday cards, driving and nice cars, reading the morning paper and talking about the stories, engaging in and watching sports — any sports, meeting friends for lunch or dinner, other people’s successes, and bialys.

Len earned what so many want: a long life well lived, full of love, friendship and laughter. And in the end, a quick exit, surrounded by family.

In addition to Razal and his sons Barry and Neil, Len is survived by the three grandchildren he adored, Noah, Alexander, and Adam, his daughters in-law Miriam and Jane, and Neil’s former wife, Claire Laporte.

A funeral will be held on Tuesday, August 11, at 1:00 p.m. at Kraeer Funeral Home, 200 W. Copans Rd., Pompano Beach, Florida. There will be no shiva.

In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).