Frederick Pasternack
September 10, 1928 - August 27, 2021
Miami, Florida - Frederick Oliver Pasternack, MD, JD, age 92, was the loving husband of Elizabeth Ann Ruschmeyer for sixty-six years. Proud father of seven daughters, grandfather of twenty, great-grandfather of two (with two more on the way), he passed away peacefully, surrounded by loving family on Friday, August 27, 2021. Fred was born in Manhattan on September 10, 1928 to Anna Cecilia and Frederick William Pasternack. His parents imbued him with a generous confidence and devotion to family that lasted the entirety of his life. Fred was enterprising from a young age, working early morning shifts at his parents’ bakery as a boy and driving a Good Humor ice cream truck as a teen. Tall, handsome and charismatic, he was a decorated wrestler and football player at Oceanside High School on Long Island and he fondly remembered his time as a high-school athlete. At sixteen, Fred attended Rutgers University on an athletic and academic scholarship and played football until an injury ended his promising football career. Later, he attended medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and interned at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami before moving to New Orleans and working for Lederle Laboratories as a medical research liaison. He then returned to Florida with his wife Elizabeth, their four children (with the fifth on the way) and their German Shepherd in order to attend the University of Miami School of Law. He settled in Miami, where he raised his family and practiced law for forty-three years. Fred had an active, brilliant mind that found its match in Elizabeth, who met his boisterous wit with warmth, intelligence and patience. They married in Bronxville, New York in 1955. He truly loved raising and celebrating his seven daughters, who fondly remember him enjoying Saturday morning cartoons, racing sailboats on Hammock Lake and encouraging them to follow their dreams. Over the years, he enjoyed large and frequent celebrations fully attended by his ever-expanding family. From Sunday dinners to family vacations, from birthday parties to forty-five-person Thanksgiving dinners, Fred presided over his family with gratitude and delight. Fred was a whiz at everything he played. He taught his children and grandchildren Monopoly and Risk and would spend long, wonderful afternoons at home strategizing against his progenies. He loved high stakes and worthy opponents, even equipping his daughters with Scrabble dictionaries in order to stack the odds against himself. He was a gifted and magnetic storyteller, often regaling his family with lively tales of his youth. He loved football, a spirited debate, a good wager, unsweetened iced tea and crossword puzzles. He loved his family and was never happier than he was when among them. He and Elizabeth spent their later years together reading books and the newspaper, playing Pinochle and Backgammon, watching the evening news and answering a steady stream of visits and phone calls from their daughters and grandchildren. Above all else, Fred knew that he was extraordinarily fortunate to be married to the love of his life and enjoyed knowing he had created a sprawling legacy. Fred was a cherished, beloved man who died as he lived: deeply adored, surrounded by devoted family and on his own terms. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth Ann Pasternack and daughters Katherine Pasternack, Karen (Tom) Sommerville, Karyl (Scott) Zimmerman, Kimberly (Michael) Baker, Krisse (Robert) Pasternack Brown, Kolleen (Chris) Cobb and Klare (Paul) Voight. He is remembered by his grandchildren Austin Shoemaker, Kristine Shoemaker, Bradley (fiancée Jess) Sommerville, Steven (Petra) Sommerville, Lauren Sommerville, Kimberly (Eric) Sweat, Scott Zimmerman, Kerri (Micah) Girotti, Brittany (Christian) Slater, Katrina Lopez, Adare (s/o George) Brown, Vaughn Brown, Fred Cobb, Nick Cobb, Cassidy Cobb, Ben Cobb, Forrest (Mindy) Voight, Stephanie Voight, Kathleen Voight and Michelle Voight. He is missed by his great-grandchildren Jack Girotti and his beloved Lena Lopez Slater. He is remembered by his brother-in-law Bob Borst and his five nieces and nephews, Larry, Cathy, Linda, Robert and Betty. He is preceded in death by his parents Anna and Frederick Pasternack and his younger sister Louise Borst. Fred will be remembered at a family ceremony at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to Paws4You Rescue or Project Medishare. Interment will be private. He will live on in our hearts.