Bertram Sayer

Bertram Sayer, a resident of Sarasota, FL, formerly from NJ, NY, and MA, passed away on July 12, 2019. He was 91 years old. Bertram was fun-loving, creative and entrepreneurial spirited, ever-ready to find the humor in life. A loving husband and father, he was a smart, highly principled and hard-working businessman who travelled globally, bringing his beloved wife Barbara along on his adventures whenever possible. He also had the heart and soul of an artist. He studied at New York City’s Arts Student League under Hans Hoffman, did photography as a family man and, during his retirement years, returned to painting to become the artist he always aspired to be. Bert was a committed husband and father and also a prankster at heart. He was the kind of person who happily signed autographs when mistaken for Herschel Bernardi during the actor’s heyday, claiming he didn’t want to disappoint the fans. Childhood antics with his twin brother Myron included “decorating” his father’s car with paint and hammering hundreds of nails into the front porch of their Brooklyn home, then decades later with his own family, driving by to gleefully point out that they were still there. He photographed his kids’ performance events at school, printing the results in his basement darkroom, and took care to do so for the other kids’ parents as well. Bert’s daily mantra when returning home from work was “Spread good cheer, Daddy’s here!” His varied professions over the years inspired all four of his children to create their own successful entrepreneurial careers. Bert received BS and MS degrees in Chemical Engineering from Syracuse University, where he was a member of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society. Syracuse also awarded him a PhD, which he denied having earned. After working at Rohm & Haas and Reichhold Chemicals in chemical sales, Bert founded an early computer company. He moved to the Consumer Products Division of American Cyanamid in Wayne, NJ, where he created and ran one of the first divisions in Operations Research. Next he joined his brother Myron at Thermal Profiles in Perth Amboy, NJ, a leading manufacturer of vinyl extrusions for windows, where he was in charge of manufacturing. Then he became co-owner of Quality Lineals and was in charge of sales and manufacturing. His business travels brought him to such diverse places as Uzbekistan, China, and Siberia. In retirement, Bert continued to make global manufacturing deals well into his 80’s. Bertram Sayer is survived by his wife of 67 years, Barbara Sayer; their children Susan Sayer Taylor, Cynthia Sayer, Wayne Sayer and Robert Sayer; siblings Myron Sayer, Felice Weiner, and Irwin Sayer; and four grandchildren. His wit, intelligence, kindness and good cheer will be missed by all who knew him. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to The Art Center Sarasota Youth Programming in memory of Bertram Sayer. https://www.artsarasota.org/

Tributes

Bertram Sayer

July 12, 2019