Sol Krongelb

Sol Krongelb passed away on 11 November 2019, following a brief illness and surrounded by his family.

Sol was born on 15 August 1932 in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Benjamin and Anna Bloom Krongelb. In 1953 Sol married his high-school sweetheart, Gladys Anne Steinfeld. Sol and Gladys moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where they both pursued advanced degrees. In 1959, the couple built a home in Somers, New York, where they raised their three children. Sol and Gladys enjoyed many activities and interests together until Gladys’s passing in 2004.

Sol earned a BS in engineering physics from NYU in 1953 and a PhD in physics from MIT in 1958. Upon graduation, Sol joined IBM, which led to a lifetime of research at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York. Along with his beloved friend and colleague Lubomyr “Luby” Romankiw and their team, Sol was instrumental in developing groundbreaking technology for the production of the magnetic thin film head, a technology still used in computers today. At the time of his passing, Sol was compiling a history of this pioneering work. Sol took early retirement from IBM in 1993 and was granted the status of researcher emeritus. He continued to be involved in research and technical societies throughout his emeritus years.

Sol lived and loved Judaism. He was an active and influential member of the Yorktown Jewish Center for 60 years, most recently directing annual award-winning programs to commemorate Holocaust victims. Sol taught Yiddish, loved Klezmer music, and was a volunteer translator at the Jewish Genealogical Convention. He excelled at genealogical research and particularly enjoyed connecting friends and family with newfound relatives. Sol’s many other skills and hobbies included gardening, photography, home repair, cooking, and doing the New York Times crossword puzzle, often with his family.

Sol is survived by his children, Andrea and Harold Krongelb, Philip Krongelb, and Lisa and Douglas Young; grandchildren, Rachel and Matthew Rapisarda, Joshua Krongelb, Malana Krongelb, Randy Biagas-Hill Jr, Hannah and Richard Olney, Hannah Joy and Jacob Young, and J. Luke Young; and his great grandchildren, Levi Young and Gemma Rapisarda.

A funeral service was held for Sol at the Yorktown Jewish Center in Yorktown Heights on 12 November 2019. The funeral was followed by burial at Beth Israel Cemetery in Woodbridge, New Jersey.

Sol’s family would like to thank his doctors throughout the years as well as the medical staff at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mt. Kisco, New York, for their loving and professional care for Sol. He was grateful for you all. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Sol’s memory may be made to the Yorktown Jewish Center , JewishGen , the Yiddish Book Center , or the charitable organization of your choice.