Sy was born January 26, 1931 in the Bronx, NY to Sarah (Shirley) and Jack Dill. He was an incredibly generous family man, an intellectual, a loyal friend, a lover of good times, a serial socializer, an octogenarian tech pro, and a fixture of local Providence area coffee shops. He was a unique force of life.
He graduated “Most Likely to Succeed” from Taft High School in the Bronx and even organized a successful 50th class reunion at the Copacabana Club in Manhattan. He earned his Bachelor’s from City College of New York with a degree in History and received an MA in Industrial Psychology from The New School for Social Research in NYC. He served during the Korean War in the US Army.
He met his wife Judi in New York City, married in 1964, and they’ve stayed the most loving of partners for 55 years. Shortly after that, he founded and led Jack Dill Associates (JDA), an executive recruiting firm in Manhattan named after his father. He placed high-level executives in Fortune 500 companies such as General Mills, Pfizer, and others. Over the years, he eventually opened offices in 5 locations nationwide.
After JDA, he consulted on mergers and acquisitions for a variety of publicly-traded companies.
Sy’s first love was his family and he also had many other passions. He was a voracious consumer of books of all kinds - including history, Judaism, science, theater and the arts, and biographies. He possessed extensive knowledge which he loved to share. He had a special interest in World War II and Winston Churchill.
Sy was also an appreciator of many types of music, from the Big Band Era, to Jazz, to music from the Great American Songbook, particularly the music of George Gershwin. He was an avid patron of the theater, as well as a film aficionado.
Since moving to Providence from New Jersey in 2003, Sy and Judi immersed themselves in the arts scene. They became the driving force behind the erection of a sculpture of local “son,” and Broadway legend George M. Cohan, which can be seen on Wickenden and Governor St.
Sy loved to dance, especially with Judi. They were an incredible duo, always the first on the dance floor and the last to leave. His idols were Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.
Sy’s most consuming interest was the birth and continued growth and success of the State of Israel As a teen, he helped his Uncle Sydney buy arms for the Israeli’s prior the founding of the nation in 1948. He worked tirelessly for Israel throughout his entire life.
Seeing the world was important to Sy. In his 20’s, he spent a year travelling around Europe, and then finished his trip on the beaches of Eilat, Israel.
He travelled with his family to Israel several times, and from 1969-1971, lived on a kibbutz with them, where he taught English and worked in the chicken coop. Afterwards, the family of 5 saw the highlights of Europe (tugging along a 6-month old!).
In addition to his wife Judi, he is survived by his 3 children and their spouses: Pamela (Pnina) and Marc Ardizzone, of Barrington, RI; Josh and Jennifer Dill of Baltimore, MD; and Mathias Dill and Jenna Mate of Hillsdale, NJ. His brother Marvin Dill and spouse Joan Dill live in Franklin, MA. He leaves behind 7 grandchildren: Dahlia, Yaakov, Basya, Ezra, Sarah-Leiba, Sadie and Ella.
Donations can be sent to the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel (ricoalitionforisrael.org) or the Zionist Organization of America (zoa.org).
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