Businessman Bert Stolier, WW2 vet, dies at 97
BERT WILLIAM STOLIER, a retired businessman and one of the oldest remaining Jewish veterans of the World War II era, died Monday morning, June 13, at St. John Carpenter’s Hospice in Harahan. He was 97.
Bert Stolier
Stolier, a New Orleans native, enlisted in the U.S. Marines in 1940 and was on a transport headed for Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked the American fleet headquartered there on December 7, 1941. Stolier arrived the next day, December 8, the date on which the United States declared war on the empire of Japan.
Stolier, who saw action in the Pacific theater, received eight battle stars, among them the particularly bloody battles at Guadalcanal, Tarawa and Iwo Jima. A warrant officer, he was aboard two different vessels sunk in battle. One of them, the heavy cruiser U.S.S. Northhampton, was torpedoed on November 30, 1942 and sank the next day, December 1, during the Battle of Tassafaronga. He was plucked from the sea by a U.S. vessel after swimming and managing to say afloat for three days and three nights.
After receiving his honorable discharge, Stolier worked as a salesman for Rubinstein Brothers, B. Bennett Company, and H.D. Lee Jeans company. At Lee Jeans he was one of the top salesmen in the country.
After Stolier left the clothing business, he and his wife, Marian Levin Udin Stollier, opened up the first of their Swensen’s Ice Cream Parlors in 1974. The story he recounted was that he and his wife were in Jackson Square on a particularly warm day and desired a cool ice cream treat, but could find none in the area. They began exploring the idea of opening an ice cream parlor there and eventually built seven different locations across the metropolitan area. The last of the stores closed in 2008.
After a push by Stephen Ambrose and Stephen Spielberg to build a D-Day Museum in New Orleans, Stolier began to take interest in becoming associated with the museum that eventually was renamed the National World War II Museum. Stolier became a member of The A-Team, a group of World War II veterans, who recounted their stories to school groups and to community groups. According to his son Kim, this offered him an outlet to open up about the war. “The fact is it was something he didn’t talk about; he didn’t want to burden anybody with it, but then he found a way to tell his stories.”
He was a longtime member of the Jewish War Veterans, Jules Lazard Post #580, and frequently participated in Memorial Day and Veterans Day activities at the museum. In his role with the museum he was also oftentimes escorted by members of the Victory Belles, the popular female singers who perform at BB’s Stage Door Canteen or at openings for public events like ballgames.
At one time or another, Stolier was a member of at least one synagogue representative of every major branch of Judaism in New Orleans. He started as an Orthodox member of Congregation Beth Israel and, later, Congregation Chevra Thilim. He moved to Conservative Synagogue for some time before finally affiliating with Congregation Gates of Prayer.
Stolier was predeceased by his wife in 2007 and a stepson, Kenneth Udin. He is survived by his three sons Alan (Jeanne), Jack (Cecilia) and Kim (Lisa) Stolier, stepdaughters Deborah Udin (Lucy) and Rhonda Udin Williams, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Visitation was held at Tharp-Sontheimer-Tharp Funeral Home, 1600 N. Causeway Blvd. in Metairie on Thursday, June 16. Following a brief memorial service (which included a tribute from the Victory Belles), a private graveside service took place at 4:00 p.m. at Gates of Prayer Cemetery, 1411 Joseph Street in New Orleans. Rabbi Alexis Pinsky officiated.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
