Elliot Chapnick

Elliot Chapnick, currently of White Plains, New York, was born in New Jersey on December 22, 1931 and grew up with his older brother Seymour, his mother Pearl, and his father Hyman in Brooklyn, NY.  Elliot met the love of his life, Fern Rudolph, through a friend in 1950 and married his 18-year-old bride in 1952.  Theirs was a 68-year romance – they were to celebrate 69 years of marriage in September.

Elliot and Fern brought up their three children in Whitestone, NY.  He survived a heart attack at age 40 and became an entrepreneur, starting Longacre Copy Center in NYC and growing it to a successful three-store family business, with Fern and daughter Heidi at his side.  Crisscrossing the US in August for family vacations was a highlight of his working years.  Upon retiring at age 74, he worked in a food pantry in Manhattan.  Elliot enjoyed felling dead trees and splitting wood at the family’s log cabin in the Berkshires, leading high-holiday dinners and Passover seders, and traveling the globe with Fern.

Elliot is survived by Fern; his three children, Susan Chapnick, Heidi Chapnick, and Lowell Chapnick; son-in-law Mark Bowers; daughter-in-law Adrienne Laitman; five grandchildren (Emily, Madeline, Max, Emma, and Jessica); four great-grandchildren (Ryan, Nicholas, Matthew, and Roman); and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Elliot was a very private person. Fern was his resounding source of joy in life, and heaven and earth revolved around her. He was a force in our family who will be truly missed.

Funeral services for family and friends will take place at 11AM on Friday, July 30, 2021 at the Ballard-Durand Funeral Home in White Plains. The family suggests that memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association to honor Elliot’s memory.