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Joseph Samuel Jr., Former DeYoung President, Dies at 92
He was the fourth generation to join the family business and built it into a nationally and internationally recognized firm.
Joseph H. Samuel Jr., who helped build the family business, J. & S.S. DeYoung, Inc., to a nationally and internationally known business, died April 23 at the age of 92.
New York—Joseph H. Samuel Jr., former president of the wholesaler J. & S.S. DeYoung, Inc., died at home in Beverly, Massachusetts on April 23. He was 92 years old.
After serving in the Navy, Samuel entered the family jewelry business, which was based in Boston, becoming its fourth generation.
He worked with his uncle, Sydney DeYoung, buying and selling fine estate jewels, rare gems and historical pieces.
According to the family, Samuel was instrumental in building the business into a nationally and internationally recognized firm. He traveled often in his early years with J. & S.S. DeYoung to build relationships the company still has today.
New York was a big part of that travel, leading him to open an office in the city in the 1970s.
He also went to a number of domestic and international auctions, recognizing early on the business potential that the Middle East and Asia provided.
Samuel also served on the Gemological Institute of America’s board of governors and was a past president of the Boston Jewelers Club and a former member of the 24 Karat Club.
According to his family, he loved golf, gardening and analyzing stocks; for about 15 years after he retired, Samuel put together a weekly newsletter with his market analysis and sent it to many friends and colleagues.
They added that during the last few weeks of his life, they received an outpouring of warm messages about Samuel, many of which talked about how he was a “true gentleman, and a man of integrity and compassion.”
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marie.
He is survived by his son, Stuart, and his wife, Gezhi; his daughter Janet Levy and her husband, Alan; his daughter Laurie Mirra and her husband, Tony; and seven grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 8, at Lynch Park in Beverly, Massachusetts. Donations can be sent to NF Northeast, 9 Bedford Street, Burlington, MA 01803.
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