JOSEPH LESSER Obituary

LESSER--Joseph S. Joseph S. Lesser, cherished husband, father, grandfather, friend and colleague, died July 8, 2022, in New York City at age 93. Mr. Lesser was the founder and chairman of Loeb Partners Realty LLC. Prior to that he founded and headed the real estate department of Loeb Rhoades & Co. Revered for his real estate acumen and iron will, Mr. Lesser directed and brokered the acquisition and financing of properties throughout the United States over the course of a remarkable 50-year career. He was a mentor to many and an extraordinarily generous benefactor. Born in Sioux City, Iowa, on July 27, 1928, Mr. Lesser was raised in Mitchell, South Dakota. He received his B.S. degree in business administration and his J.D. degree from the University of South Dakota. After moving to New York City in the early 1950s, he received an LLM degree in taxation and corporate finance from New York University School of Law. Mr. Lesser was a member of both the South Dakota and New York State Bars. He was a licensed real estate broker and a member of the Real Estate Board of New York, Urban Land Institute and New York City Bar Association. Mr. Lesser was also chairman of the Board of Florida Gulf Realty Trust, a highly successful publicly traded REIT, and chairman of United Park City Mines Company, a publicly traded real estate development company based in Park City, Utah. Mr. Lesser was predeceased by his loving wife of 56 years, Samene Webber Lesser, parents Edith Shapiro Lesser and Samuel Lesser, sister Betty Mintz and brothers Laurence Lesser, Gerald Lesser, Simon Lesser and Martin Lesser. He is survived by his devoted daughters, Amy M. Lesser and Sharon Lesser Maguire, beloved grandson Jack, sister Lillian Kraus, brothers Paul Lesser and Dr. Michael Lesser, and numerous nieces and nephews. A memorial is being planned for the early fall. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to City Harvest, The New York Philharmonic or the Central Park Conservancy.