A tribute to Simon Nemzow on his 100th birthday

Simon Nemtzow, now Simon Nemzow, was born to Abraham Nemtzow and Sophie Neuman in Newport on Sept. 28, 1921. Si, now a spry resident of Providence, recently celebrated his 100th birthday with family and friends.

Si grew up in Newport during the Great Depression, which colored his view of the world and opportunities. As a youth, he attended Rogers High School and enjoyed rock-climbing, body surfing, swimming in Narragansett Bay and sailing with neighborhood friends. He attended Touro Synagogue, which was a focal point for his extended family – and Newport’s Jewish community in general.

Si worked in the family grocery store, on Second Street, as did his siblings, Dorothy, Beatrice and David. He stocked shelves, fed chickens in the back and served customers.

After graduating early from high school, Si took a year off and worked in construction, doing welding. He then attended the University of Rhode Island, where he joined the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. He still tells stories of badly-cooked meals and unheated dorm rooms.

During World War II, Si was drafted as an aircraft electrician in the 8th Army Air Force. His bomber unit was deployed to Sussex, England, in 1942. He wrote copious letters to family and friends throughout the war, as well as corresponding for decades after the war with friends made in England, Scotland and France during his service. Many of these letters still exist, and they are notable for their warmth.

Later in 1942, Si’s squadron was destroyed while returning to base after a raid on Germany. Trailing Luftwaffe airplanes also bombed the base to destroy any straggling aircraft as they landed.

While awaiting reassignment with the demoralized remnants of this bomber squadron, Si learned to repair and use idle pilot-training equipment, including the “blue box” formally known as the Link AN-T-18 Basic Instrument Trainer.

He returned these flight trainers to service when they suddenly became crucial as the Army Air Force shifted from the relative safety of nighttime bombings to 10-hour raids deep into Germany.

As a technical sergeant, Si became the European theater’s lead Link Trainer pilot instructor for radio navigation and formation aerial bombings. He helped squadrons launch and land during the night, navigating only by radio-beacon technology.

Later in the war, in 1945, Si filled in for flight crew members to shuttle new bombers from Tunisia to Italy.  A photo shows a balding but smiling Simon in a cockpit, looking down at the islands of Corsica and Sardinia.

When the war ended, Si was offered an officer’s commission with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics to develop flight control and positioning systems for both military and commercial aviation. But after five years far from family and home, he wanted to return to his life.

Si was accepted into Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, but decided against attending.  He had joined the company Permalight, together with brothers Maurice Shore and Harry Shore (Harry was married to Si’s sister Beatrice), which was in a storefront on Water Street in Providence and was soon financially rewarding. He commuted for years between Newport and Providence on Greyhound buses and ferries, so he could live at home and help his parents, before moving to the Federal Hill neighborhood of Providence.

As fluorescent lighting took off, Permalight moved to Charles Street. The company was later renamed Allied Fluorescent Mfg. when the partnership bought and repurposed mill buildings on Hartford Avenue, in Providence’s Olneyville neighborhood. Si worked with his partners for almost 40 years, as well as with key staffers, including Ed Hall, John Gracy and Robert Fairbanks.

Upon retirement, Si partnered with Harry Shore and Sid Weingeroff in SW Valley Reality, which acquired aging properties from Uniroyal and rebuilt them as manufacturing space for startup companies.

Si was the kohane who was often called at the last minute to make a minyan and to chant the blessings for the Torah reading. He also served as a trustee for Brown-RISD Hillel, a board member for the Jewish Seniors Agency and on the board of the Providence Hebrew Day School.

For over 40 years, Si played the baritone brass horn in the Shriners International Marching Band, at venues that included the Veterans Memorial Auditorium, in Providence, the bandstand in Roger Williams Park, Providence, and the George Kent Performance Hall, in Westerly. Family members remember lining the streets in Bristol during its famous Fourth of July parade to see the Shriners band, in their red uniforms and distinctive tasseled fezzes, playing a Sousa march and other vibrant patriotic music.

Si was an avid photographer who had several one-man shows in Wayland Square and the Old Stone Bank on South Main Street in Providence. He portrayed the faces of friends, family and random people around the world in chiaroscuro, as well as marine scenes and other subjects. He also recorded family gatherings, often during Pesach, to preserve relatives’ stories of migration and upheaval, some of which are reminiscent of Shalom Aleichem’s tales.

Si golfed at the Ledgemont and Crestwood country clubs. He sailed extensively on the Bay with his son in their daysailer, and body surfed even when the waves reached scary heights; he could hold his breath underwater for nearly three minutes. He often went fishing with friends and family, on either his boat or theirs.

Si married Jacqueline S. Wiesel in 1967, adopting her two children, Sally and Martin. He and Jacqueline often traveled to Florida and Israel to visit their son and daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as their many nieces, nephews and cousins. They had a storybook life together until Jackie’s death in 2007. Si has five grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren – so far.

Si’s family is known for its longevity – many of his relatives have reached 100-plus years, including, in his generation alone, his sister Dorothy Lippman, Benn Niemtzow, Irving Nemztow, Aaron Nemtzow, Harry Nemtzow and Lillian Zablocki.