Paul Litman

Paul Litman passed away Tuesday evening, January 7 in Boynton Beach, FL with his wife and family by his side. Paul, affectionately known as Poppy by his grandkids, is survived by his wife, Reesa (Leff) Litman, his 4 children, Eric Litman, Seth Litman (Mary), Jonathan Litman, and Deb Litman (Julie), his sister, Frances Brownstein (Joel) and his nephew, Matthew Brownstein. He is also survived by his 7 grandchildren, the loves of his life, Yuliana Litman, Henry Litman, Abby Litman, Sam Litman, Phil Litman, Jaden Fetter-Litman and Dylan Fetter-Litman. Paul was born in 1939 in Springfield, Massachusetts to Helen and Henry Litman. He attended American International College and Boston University Law School. He met the love of his life, Reesa, at Old Colony Beach when they were 11 years old. They reconnected in Hartford when they were both 15. They were married in 1961 and over the next few years, Reesa and Paul worked to pay his way through law school. In fact, while taking a full caseload, Paul worked two jobs – as a cab driver in Boston and overnight in a bakery. After graduation, Paul and Reesa lived in the greater Hartford area until settling in their dream house in West Hartford in 1976. Paul spent the majority of his career working for the firm of Clayman, Markowitz, Litman and Tapper in Bloomfield, CT before retiring in the early 2000s. During his more than 40-year career he was known by all that worked for, with and against him as an exceptional attorney that handled matters with the utmost integrity and professionalism. Upon retirement, Paul and Reesa began spending winters in Boynton Beach before moving to Florida full-time in 2012. If Paul knew you, you were his friend and you probably shared a funny story. Paul was known for his jokes (dirty and otherwise), his nicknames and his sayings. On the night he passed away, we turned up the heat in Florida and could hear him saying, “It’s boiling hot in here! Turn down the heat – we don’t own the electric light company!” Every time he spoke with his children his first question was, “How’s business? Are you working hard or hardly working?” He had nicknames for all of his family and friends so in reality, he is survived by Srool, Snead, Pleau, Guggin and Blorpie Snubex along with his 7 Kissies. Paul was passionate about fitness, food, boating and Beth El Temple. In his younger days, he could be found jogging around the neighborhood in West Hartford with his favorite dog, Brutus, and his buddies from Porter Drive or whipping an opponent on the racquetball/squash courts at the JCC. He loved hot dogs, martinis and the Yankees. His favorite place was Crescent Beach, where he would sit in “the circle” with his friends and a jug. He loved to be out on his boat, teaching anyone who wanted to learn how to waterski—which he did himself well into his sixties. On one of his final days, he smiled and nodded vigorously when asked if he wanted to go for a “ski-ette”, waterskiing on the Niantic River. If you were a friend of Paul’s, an adversary in the courtroom or even a Judge, the door to his home at Crescent Beach was always open to you, and many appeared summer after summer. During the High Holidays, Paul was always ushering from the start to finish of services and handed out honors to the congregation as he went. He was an active leader for many years in the Jewish Children’s Services organization, helping underprivileged children. In Florida, you could find him at the gym, in the pool, having a meal with friends on the water or cutting a rug with Reesa at a dinner dance. His favorite moments in his golden years were the times spent with his grandchildren, who truly lit up his life. He loved to travel and was able to take his dream trip, a safari to Africa during his retirement. One of Paul’s favorite jokes was about his own funeral, where there will actually be “Paul bearers” – the memory of this joke will hopefully bring a smile to his grieving friends and family in the coming week. The funeral service for Paul will be held at Beth El Temple in West Hartford, CT on Friday, January 10th at 11 AM. Following a short service at the cemetery, the family will welcome friends and family back at Beth El for a light lunch starting at 1 PM. The family would like donations in Paul’s name to be made to JCSO Greater Hartford at jcsohartford.org or the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org. The family will be sitting shiva at their home in Valencia Lakes in Boynton Beach, Florida beginning on Sunday, January 12 through Tuesday, January 14, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm with a minyan at 6:30 pm. There will be a service for Paul on Wednesday, January 15 at 1:00 pm in their home in Valencia Lakes.