Obituaries

BLATT, Edwin Bernard (Eddie)

Edwin Bernard Blatt was born on August 2, 1925 in Columbus, Ohio. His parents, Rudolph and Claira (Mattlin) Blatt came to the United States from Odessa, Russia in 1907 and 1908. Edwin’s family moved to Cincinnati when he was 8. He attended South Avondale Elementary School and Walnut Hills High School. During World War II he served as a Lieutenant in the US Navy based in New Jersey. He was discharged from the Navy in 1946.

Edwin attended Dartmouth College. After earning his B.A from Dartmouth he earned a Masters degree from Miami of Ohio and then returned to the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth for his MBA Degree. Edwin was a competitive swimmer at both Walnut Hills and Dartmouth College and was a star tennis player on the Walnut Hills team. He remained an avid swimmer for most of his life.

He met his future wife, Dr. Ethyl Blatt (Sher), at a dance at Camp Livingston. They were married in 1954 and recently celebrated their 60th anniversary. Dr. Ethyl Blatt is a radiologist who continues to consult today. Edwin was a devoted family man, and he and Ethyl had 2 sons, Rick and Brandon.

On his return to Cincinnati he joined the family business of reconditioning barrels before starting an advertising agency. He was a pioneer of advertising on TV and for many years directed and produced television commercials. In a “A Lion on the Lawn”, an early campaign for Sunbeam, he used a baby lion in a commercial. His son recalls that the person who was supposed to pick up the lion after the shoot never showed up and that the lion spent the weekend at their home. Edwin returned the lion on Monday morning. He also promoted Rinks, the first discount store in the Cincinnati area.

In 1980 he founded Sterling Medical Corporation, a healthcare staffing company that provides medical personnel to the US Armed Forces all over the world. In addition to the main office in Cincinnati, Sterling Medical has offices in various locations in the U.S., as well as in Germany and Japan.

Edwin was very active in the greater Cincinnati community. He was a founder of Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and was actively engaged in the design and building of their theater; he also served on the Playhouse board for many years. Additionally in the arts, he was a board member of the Cincinnati Opera. Edwin was co-founder of the Symphony Hotel and active with family members in the revitalization efforts for Over-the-Rhine.

He was an avid reader and a world-wide traveler to far flung places in the Pacific, South America, Europe, and Israel. He took up the game of golf later in his life and belonged to the Crest Hills and Losantiville Golf Clubs and was a board member at Amberley Swim Club. He was also a boater and sailor and once capsized his boat on San Francisco Bay; all hands were safely rescued by the US Coast Guard. Later in his life he lived in Boca Raton, Florida.

Edwin was a board member at Ohav Shalom and later a member at Rockdale Temple.

Edwin passed away on Sunday May 11, 2014 – 11 Iyar, 5774 – at the age of 88. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Ethyl Blatt, his children Rick (Karen Meister) Blatt and Brandon (Debra Pelletiere) Blatt, grandchildren Cody, Wyatt, and Monroe Blatt and Hannah Pelletiere, and his brother Dr. Norman Blatt. He was predeceased by his brother, Sidney Blatt of Columbus, Ohio and by his sister-in-laws Hilda Blatt (Norman) and Selma (Sally) Blatt (Sidney).

Funeral services will take place on Sunday May 18, 2014 at Weil Funeral Home; Rabbi Sissy Coran will be officiating.

The family requests that contributions be made to Walnut Hills High School Annual Fund, WHHS Alumni Foundation, 3250 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45207.