Ashley J. Altman

Ashley J. Altman, beloved husband of the late Sandra (nee Kimmelman) Altman, of Wynnewood, PA, born June 9, 1920, died December 30, 2020 at the age of 100.

Mr. Altman graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His admittance to Penn was made possible by the John B. Thayer Scholarship, established in memory of the Pennsylvania Railroad executive who perished in the sinking of the Titanic and whose wife was a customer of Mr. Altman's mother, sole proprietor of Chapeaux d'Art, an exclusive hat shop located in Suburban Square, Ardmore, PA.

During World War II, Mr. Altman served in the European theater for the U.S. Army with the 16th Field Artillery Observation Battalion traveling with the 8th Corp in Normandy, the Rhineland, Ardennes and other parts of Central Europe. He identified and reported some of the earliest enemy troop movements leading to the Battle of the Bulge, earning him a Bronze Star and Victory Medal. Corporal Altman was honorably discharged from the Army in February 1946.

A successful career as a developer and home builder in the Philadelphia region soon followed. His first development of twenty-four row houses on the 7400 block of Guyer Street in 1949 led to over 800 single-family homes built in Philadelphia, Whitemarsh Twp., Blue Bell, and Havertown, as well as the development of 429 multi-family units with the construction of Strafford Station and the Radnor Crossing Garden Apartment complexes on the Main Line.

He was a Charter Founder of the Ellis Island Project and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in addition to being a supporter of many Jewish charities. His greatest philanthropic achievement, however, was the establishment of the Sandra Altman Brain Tumor Research Fellowship and Visiting Professorship of Penn Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, to support brain tumor research. Annual lectures continue to this day to further the understanding of the disease that took the life of his beloved wife at the premature age of 45.

An avid, lifetime supporter of Philadelphia sports teams, especially the Eagles and Phillies, he could recite the starting lineup for the 1929 Philadelphia A's well into his 90s. His most treasured tickets were reserved for the baseball, hockey, and season basketball games, jazz band and vocal performances, plays, dance recitals and other activities of his grandchildren, where each was an MVP.

Lovingly known as Pop and Pop Ash by so many who knew him, Pop had the unique ability to connect with all generations. Proficient on the computer, he reassured his family of his safety, to avoid being an imposition, by sending "The Daily Mail," which included reports of current and historical events, jokes, musical favorites and pearls of wisdom. His generosity and kindness touched so many for which he will always be cherished.

Mr. Altman is survived by his children, Marjie (Tom) Altman Bershad, Katy (Craig) Fertel, Jennie (Sam) Nemroff and his 7 grandchildren, Sandra Bershad, Anna (Steve) Rudnick, Stephen Nemroff (Jenna Nagler), Sammy Fertel (Mike Benson), Andrew Nemroff, Alec Fertel, and Daniel Nemroff.

Contributions in his memory may be made to the Sandra Altman Visiting Professorship Fund at Penn Medicine or the Anti-Defamation League.
Arrangements By Joseph Levine & Sons (www.levinefuneral.com)