OBITUARY: Melvin 'Mel' Shapiro

Melvin “Mel” Shapiro, 85, of Longboat Key and formerly of Marblehead, Mass., died Nov. 7.

Born June 29, 1925, in Chelsea, Mass., he served from 1943 to 1945 in the U.S. Marine Corps on Saipan, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He graduated from Brown University in 1950 and spent his entire retailing career at Filene’s Boston. He moved to Longboat Key in 1985.

Mr. Shapiro is survived by his wife of 58 years, Beverly; sons Jeff, of Vestal, N.Y., and Mike, of St. Petersburg; daughter, Beth Yudkowsky, of Skokie, Ill.; sister, Miriam Levine, of Peabody, Mass.; nine grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will take place at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. Shiva will be observed Tuesday evening at the Shapiro home, 4700 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Unit D303, on Longboat Key, and Wednesday evening at the home of Mike Shapiro, 6601 22nd Way S., St. Petersburg.

Donations can be made to the Sarasota High School Mighty Sailor Band, 100 S. School Ave., Sarasota, Fla. 34237 or the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department, longboatkey.org.