The people we lost in 2023 touched every corner of Western New York in one way or another.
Some delighted us with their artistry and the pleasures of their performances. Others amazed us with their achievements on and off the athletic fields. Many uplifted their neighbors and communities with countless acts of generosity and public service. Still others built impressive enterprises in business, education and government, laying the groundwork for a better tomorrow.
Although they have taken pieces of our hearts and our history with them, their legacy will continue to live on:
Greta Anderson, 105, co-founded the first Anderson’s Frozen Custard shop with her husband, Carl, in the 1940s. A smiling presence in the iconic business for more than 75 years, she celebrated her birthdays by serving cones to customers. She died Nov. 8.
Jason Arno, a Buffalo firefighter who served for three years with Engine 2, died March 1 when he was trapped inside a building at 745 Main St. while battling a four-alarm blaze. Thousands turned out for his funeral procession, and in September, a grieving fire department dedicated a new ladder truck in his memory. He was 37.
Sheldon M. Berlow, 90, a prominent real estate broker, used his love of cutting-edge culture and vast knowledge of property to promote downtown development and avant-garde art. In 1976, he led an investment group that bought the city’s second-tallest structure, the 29-story Rand Building, and moved his offices there. A constant supporter of cultural events for half a century, he died Jan. 12.
Joan Bozer, 94, an Erie County legislator for 18 years, was considered farsighted in her advocacy for the arts, historic preservation and environmental issues. She pushed for the conversion of Buffalo’s old main post office into the Erie Community College City Campus and was a founder of the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy and the Western New York Sustainable Energy Association. She died May 4.
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