Mass. Grocery Veteran Dies

Services took place this week in Springfield, Mass., for grocery industry veteran Burton Weinbaum, who died Dec. 15 at the age of 77.

Weinbaum spent his entire 40-year career in the grocery industry, which he said was both his business and his hobby. He started out at Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop in 1957, rising through the ranks from management trainee to general manager of the Connecticut Division. Weinbaum then went on to spend many years as a corporate officer of the Montvale, N.J.-based Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. in such roles as corporate VP, president of the Northeast Group and finally special assistant to the chairman of the board, until his retirement in 1997.

He supported a range charitable causes and food industry organizations, which led to his being named the 1975 Connecticut Food Stores Association Man of the Year. A mentor to those entering the industry, Weinbaum was a visiting executive with the Skidmore College Business Advisory Council for more than a decade. He also maintained a 20-plus year relationship with the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic, for which he served as chairman and later treasurer of the Tip-Off Classic Executive Committee.

Survivors include his wife of 48 years, Joyce, two children and two grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Weinbaum Chapel Fund of Temple Beth El, 979 Dickinson Street, Springfield, MA 01108.