Sheldon Mann of New York City,, formerly of Hartford, died Wednesday, August 24, 2005. Sheldon was born February 13, 1924 in Hartford where he grew up and attended the Kinsella School, Bulkeley High School and Trinity College. From 1943 to 1946, he served in the U.S. Army where he received a Purple Heart at the Battle of the Bulge. In 1948 he received a BA from the University of Connecticut and earned a master’s degree in marketing in 1949 from Syracuse University. Sheldon had a long and successful career in the retail clothing business, including Wise-Smith, G. Fox and Lane Bryant in Hartford. He went on to become general manager at Lane Bryant’s flagship store on 5th Avenue in New York, where he later worked for the Forgotten Woman and Bergdorf-Goodman. A long-time resident of New York City, Sheldon loved travel and theater and the arts. He loved his cats and was an ardent supporter of animal welfare groups. Sheldon had a sharp wit, a singular sense of humor, a keen interest in people, and a generous soul. Above all, he was devoted to his friends and family. He leaves his life partner, Tom Vanderbeck, his beloved brother and sister, Norman and Denese Mann, his nieces and nephews, Karen, Lee, Roselle, Cindy, Tom, Jonathan, Ester, and his great-nieces and nephew, Alexandra, Zoe, Noa and Etan. He also leaves his close cousins and his devoted friends, including Paul Sessa, Jane Rosenthal, Sandy and Irvin Arthur, Jim Nolan, Michael Halpin and Matty Sergio. A graveside funeral service will be held at Beth El Temple Cemetery in Avon on Sunday, August 28th at 11:30 AM with Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler officiating. A memorial period will be observed Sunday following the funeral through Tuesday evening at 7:30 PM at the home of Dr. & Mrs. Mann. Contributions in memory of Sheldon may be made to the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society, 300 Research Parkway, Suite 310, Meriden, 06450 or to Beth El Temple, 2626 Albany Avenue, West Hartford 06117. Arrangements are entrusted to Weinstein Mortuary, Hartford. For further information, directions or to share memories of Sheldon with his family, please visit online at www.weinsteinmortuary.com.
