Howard “Howie” S. Berl
March 11, 1947 - June 11, 2017
Howard (Howie) Stephen Berl passed away with his beloved wife and children by his side on June 11, 2017 at the age of 70.
Howard, son of Saul and Shirley Lavitt Berl, was born March 11, 1947 in Brooklyn, New York. The oldest of three children in a strong self-starting family that launched several Brooklyn luncheonettes, Howard and his brother Leslie worked hard at the family business, managing to cook, clean and prepare the restaurant for the day all before getting ready for school. They were long days, but Howie knew hard work was important and that lesson was never lost.
Howard graduated from Samuel J. Tilden High School in 1965 and was called into service in the U.S. Army in September 1966. He was sent to Korea after training as a combat demolition expert but by coincidence was chosen by his commander to be the company clerk. He was honorably discharged July 3, 1968.
Returning to New York, Howard met Virginia Healy and they were married on December 5, 1971. Together they had four wonderful children. The marriage ended in divorce in 1991.
Howard spent his entire career on Wall Street, which began in the late Sixties at the iconic firm of L.F. Rothschild delivering coffee, fetching newspapers and working in the mail room. He rapidly rose through the ranks and by the mid-Seventies was part of the legendary block traders that provided liquidity for block positions for hedge funds, mutual funds, pension funds and so forth. Howard’s trading acumen paved the path for the firm’s reputation to become part of numerous underwritings that the firm put forth in that era. In 1988 the firm, then known as L.F. Rothschild, Unterberg, Towbin, was a victim of the crash of 1987 and Howard was shortly thereafter recruited by Montgomery Securities in San Francisco and joined the firm as a Partner in the Trading Department in 1988. He soon became a cornerstone of the Department, and he and his team lead the firm into many of the larger transactions that were executed in those days. He remained in that position until 1998, one year after the firm was sold to NationsBank which is now Bank of America. He was one of the most respected traders of his time specializing in retail stocks.
In November 1997 Howard met Carol Birkenfeld, a court reporter with her own reporting agency, at a law firm relocation party. Six months later they were engaged and within another six months, November 1998, Howie and Carol were married and shared a beautiful life together.
Howard was an avid sports fan, whether playing or watching, with a knowledge of teams, players and games beyond compare. Cheering on many teams in all different sports, above all he was a diehard New York Yankees fan, teaching his grandchildren to say “I love Yankees” as their first words. Being a devoted father and family man, he never missed his children’s nor grandchildren’s soccer games. He was a Belvedere Tennis Club member along with his wife Carol for over 15 years. He gave many hours of his time to BTC, serving on the Board of Directors for three years and Food and Beverage Committee for several years.
He was a voracious reader, a consummate research person known as “The Howman” who friends frequently called on requesting his valued opinion, a world traveler, a collector of fine wines from many regions of the world which he enjoyed sharing with family and friends, and an enthusiastic technology lover, always the first to have the latest new item on the market.
Howie received two kidney transplants in his lifetime due to Glomerulonephritis, the second donated by his loving sister Gail Pizetoski which lasted over 18 years, beating all the odds. During the most difficult times, he never complained about his health and always had a positive outlook.
He lived a full, rich and meaningful life and truly treasured his multitude of friends from both personal and business relationships. Howard will be remembered for his interest in and caring for people from every walk of life, his quick wit and sense of humor, his organization, his love of friends and support of family, generous nature and strong character.
Howie, Howman, Dad: You were one of a kind. You will be loved every day, greatly missed and never forgotten.
Howard is survived by his wife of 19 years Carol Berl; four children: Michael Berl (Jennifer) of New York City; Elizabeth Berl Nevarez (Wil) of San Rafael; Laura Haggard (Bryan) of Highland, MI; and Sarah Berl Clifford (Ryan) of Spokane, WA; and five grandchildren: Isabella, Emma, Lucas, Shane and Bennett, all of whom he adored and cherished. His brother Leslie (Robyn) Berl; niece Jennifer (Brian) Kessler and their children Cole and Emma of Boca Raton, FL; and sister Gail (John) Pizetoski and nephews Joey and Danny Pizetoski of Pinehurst, NC.
The family would like to express their gratitude to Robert (Bobby) Kahan and John Novick for their love and support throughout Howie’s life in California and beyond and to all our dear and wonderful friends for their acts of kindness, love and support.
A gravesite memorial was held June 13 at Mount Tamalpais Cemetery in San Rafael and a Celebration of Life honoring Howie was held that evening at the Belvedere Tennis Club.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made in Howard’s memory to the National Kidney Foundation (www.kidney.org).