Harold during WW2 Navy

Harold was born in Brooklyn, New York to a family of very modest means and when Harold was about 6 years old his mother Gussie died of Tuberculosis As was customary in those early days of the century very young children were often sent to orphanages and Harold was sent along with his sister Sally who was 2 years older to stay at the Hebrew Sheltering Arms Guardian Society Home in Pleasantville, N.Y. 10 years from 6 to 16 -A very unhappy and haunting time for him. Louis , Harold's father had 2 children, Morris and Edith with his first wife Sarah who died at the age of 29. Unable to raise children alone his father [known to the family as Leazar] a tailor,quickly married his wife's younger sister Gussie and had Lil, Sally Harold and Flo. Sadly his second wife Gussie contracted TB and also died at the age of 29. Flo the baby went to live with "Aunt Annie" while Lil remained at home with older sister Edith and Morris who had enlisted in the World War I Army Air Corps. Harold was brought home eventually at the age of 16 to rejoin his older brother Morris and sister Edith, Lil Sally and his younger sister Flo, but having lived from age 6 to 16 in an orphanage wounded him deeply. Times were hard and it wasn't until Harold met his wife Marie that he finally felt some comfort in the world. Living in the Bronx with Marie they gave birth to 2 sons Joel in 1940 and Gene in 1945. Holding various jobs during the depression, Harold landed a job as a route man for Sheffield Farms delivering milk to homes in affluent suburbs in NJ. When his job with Sheffield Farms Dairy moved to NJ in 1950 he brought his family from the Bronx to Montclair, NJ and in 1955 was able to buy his own home and the family moved to White Meadow Lake in Rockaway, NJ. Moving to White Meadow Lake in Rockaway, a small primarily Jewish community of former New Yorkers in the mid 1950's Harold was able to assert his special qualities. He served on the property owner's board proudly. Joining the Lions club, he eventually held every elected office in the organization and gained the confidence to participate in the local Democratic Organization. Through this work he was appointed Tax Assessor of Rockaway Township and although never having an opportunity for formal education he pursued and completed a course of study for Tax assessing at Rutgers University . Distinguishing himself he became a member of the New Jersey State Assessors Association and was significantly helpful in the creation of the Rockaway Town Square a major destination shopping venue in Northern New Jersey. Harold and Marie socialized with his large family often celebrating holidays with his sisters Edith, Flo and Lil schlepping the 2 boys to Brooklyn and Long Island to all family occasions. Harold was famous for feeling so comfortable in this setting that he would fall snoring asleep in the middle of the noisy gathering. Harold's beloved wife Marie passed away in June of 1972 creating a painful vacuum which he tried to fill through two subsequent unhappy marriages. Always close to his large family and because his sister Lil, and Flo's family moved to the Ft Lauderdale area of Florida, upon retiring from his position in Rockaway he sold his house and moved to a community in Sunrise where he was able to be of assistance to his widowed sister Lil and Flo and her husband Harry. Harold met and enjoyed the company of his neighbor Yolanda in the Sunrise community until his death in 1995. Marie is interred in King Solomon Memorial Park in Clifton, NJ in an area set aside for members of the White Meadow Lake Temple Community. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Harold's siblings in birth order are: Morris Baumwoll (1895 - 1971)☼ Edith Baumwoll Elkins (1899 - 1967☼ Lillian Baumwoll Blue (1906 - 1993)► Sarah Baumwoll Quinn (1909 - ____)► Harold Baumwoll (1910 - 1995)► Florence Baumwoll Hale (1911 - 2001)► ☼Sarah Lefkowitz Baumwoll's children ►Gussie Goldberg Baumwoll's children Obituary South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) - Monday, August 7, 1995 of Sunrise, FL passed away Saturday, August 5, 1995. Resident of Sunrise since 1988, formerly of White Meadow Lake, Rockaway Township, NJ. Harold was the former Tax Assessor with the Rockaway Township; Past President and active in all offices of the Rockaway Township Lions Club. He was active with Marcella Camp for the Blind, Rockaway Township, NJ. Harold is survived by two sons, Joel (Ellen), and Gene; three grandchildren, Michael, Lisa and Noah; one sister, Florence Hale; long time companion, Yolanda Stout. STAR OF DAVID MEMORIAL GARDENS South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) Monday, August 7, 1995