Sidney Scheinfeld’s father passed away at a relatively young age. This event precluded any of Sidney‘s plans for the future because he had to help his family run Scheinfeld’s department store on Metropolitan Avenue.

In later years, Sidney opened a haberdashery store across from the department store. At the end of each year Sidney would take an inventory of his merchandise. He noted that year after year he always had a surplus of size small men’s pajamas and always sold out all the larger sizes. He pondered this question and finally, “Eureka!” He empirically reasoned the answer to his dilemma.

The neighborhood men generally slept in under shirts and boxer shorts. They hardly ever wore pajamas. When did they wear pajamas? Their wives brought them pajamas when they were sent to the hospital!

His evidence: Mr. Sunshine, the local neighborhood house painter who was 5’2” tall and weighed about 110 pounds, was always a vigorous man who lived to about the age of 93. Ergo, short men lived longer than the tall men.

UNDER OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES, SIDNEY MIGHT HAVE BECOME A DOCTOR OR A LAWYER. NEVERTHELESS, SIDNEY’S INTELLIGENCE, COMPASSION AND PERPETUAL SMILE LEFT INDELIBLE MEMORIES OF A TRUE MENSCH WITH THOSE WHO KNEW HIM.