In
Loving Memory

Robert Zwetchkenbaum, the father of North Shore Towers resident Gary Zwetchkenbaum and father-in-law of wife Susan, passed away in Florida on Wednesday, March 25 at the age of 95.
Zwetchkenbaum is survived by his wife of 62 years, Irene, sons Gary, Kevin and Richard, two daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren.
“My father was a very bright man and he was my mentor,” Gary said of his father. “My father was my best friend.”
Zwetchkenbaum was born in Austria in 1914 and came to the United States when he was six years old. He grew up in Massachusetts.
A World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient, Zwetchkenbaum met his wife, Irene, following the war and they married on July 28, 1946.
Zwetchkenbaum, who had a law degree from Northeastern University, founded Big Ben Department Stores, Inc. in 1959 and ran the business until he retired in 1980. Around that same time, he and his wife became permanent residents of Florida.
After his retirement, Zwetchkenbaum began assisting his wife in her work as a licensed social worker. He also did volunteer work for small businesses, was a former temple treasurer, a mason and a former board member of his cooperative.
Zwetchkenbaum’s department store was a sponsor of a little league team in Massachusetts that, in the 1960s, “was one step away from the little league world series,” Gary said.
Gary said that doing volunteer work and giving back was always an important part of his parent’s lives.
The funeral for Robert Zwetchkenbaum was held on Sunday, March 29 at the Riverside Gordon Memorial Chapel in Florida.
“To me the funeral is a celebration of his life,” Gary said. “He lived a great life.”