Allen Lester Gribetz was a “skilled, once-in-a-generation merchant, which guided him from folding towels at Bloomingdale’s just out of the Army to becoming vice chairman of the store,” wrote his husband, Andy Peters.
Mr. Gribetz, who was known as Lester, died at home in Manhattan on May 18 after being in home hospice care for five months. He was 93 and his husband was with him. He had lived for 45 years at the San Remo on Central Park West in Manhattan, and had also had houses in Sagaponack, on Shelter Island, in Greensboro, Vt., and in Amagansett.
At Bloomingdale’s, he worked closely with Marvin Traub, its chairman and chief executive officer for many years, and Barbara D’Arcy, its vice president and director of merchandise presentation. “They formed a strong partnership, shopping the world for unique goods and elevating Bloomingdale’s image and assortments,” according to Mr. Peters.
Mr. Gribetz went on to consult briefly with Mr. Traub after his tenure at Bloomingdale’s, and then became chief marketing officer for global brands at Waterford Wedgwood, whose subsidiaries included Waterford Crystal, Wedgwood China, Royal Doulton Ceramics, and Rosenthal Ceramics. “With endless energy, at 80 years old, he became the head designer for Hartmann Luggage and president and C.M.O. of Lenox China.” He headed up licensing and managed brands for Kate Spade, Michael Wainwright, Aerin Lauder, and many others.
Mr. Gribetz was born in Washington Heights, Manhattan, on Jan. 31, 1930, to Herman Gribetz and the former Celia Boss, and grew up there. He received a scholarship to attend New York University as an undergraduate and earned a master’s degree in psychology before being drafted into the Army, where he served four years and was ultimately recruited to run a hospital and rehabilitation facility in Virginia for soldiers returning from the Korean War.
He entered a training program at Bloomingdale’s after the Army. “Walking into Bloomingdale’s with Lester was like getting a present, if you could keep up with him,” his husband wrote. “Employees would come out of the woodwork to give him a hug and share in his love. He treated every level of employee as a valued human being. He truly cared.”
During the early days of the AIDS epidemic, he was a founding board member at God’s Love We Deliver, and worked with the charity to cook Thanksgiving turkeys in the Bloomingdale’s restaurant ovens for those homebound and living with AIDS. “He was a visionary with the kindest of hearts,” his husband wrote. Mr. Gribetz continued to support the charity for more than four decades.
“Lester was a special and rare human being,” Mr. Peters said. “His laugh could open anyone’s heart, and his kind, caring nature captured everyone he came into contact with.” In his family, “his warmth, intelligence, kindness, generosity, charisma, curiosity, loyalty, and contagious laughter made him everyone’s favorite uncle, great-uncle, and great-great-uncle,” his husband said.
Mr. Gribetz and Mr. Peters were married on Dec. 10, 2015.
In addition to his husband, he is survived by a sister, Harriet Soffes of Quincy, Fla., his nieces and nephews Kenneth, Judy, Jessica, Michael, and Rhonda Gribetz, Diane and Michael Gorfaine, Diane Goldkopf, and Anne Soffes Blount, and their many children and grandchildren.
His former partner Tim Mench died before him, as did his siblings Dennis Gribetz, Florence Gribetz, Rhoda Gorfaine, and Robert Soffes, and two nephews, Allen Gribetz and Elliot Soffes.
A memorial service will be held on June 19 at 1 p.m. at B’nai Jeshurun at 257 West 88th Street in Manhattan. Donations in Mr. Gribetz’s name have been suggested to God’s Love We Deliver, online at glwd.org/give.
