October 1, 1914 – September 19, 2014

A sorrowful but successful life was lived by Velvel Diament. Born in Poland at the beginning of WWI, he served in the Polish Army in the 2nd World War and fled his homeland in order to survive the holocaust by traveling through Siberia and Middle Asia. During this first refugee period he married his beloved Bella and had the first of their three children. Although his formal career was as a tailor he performed many other jobs from lumberjack to longshoreman during those years. Following the war his young family returned to Poland where he found no surviving relatives. With two young children, Velvel and Bella escaped across the southern boarder, crossed Czechoslovakia and found their way to the displaced person camps in Germany, from which they emigrated to the United States in 1951. Arriving in New York with virtually nothing, they began a new life—starting work and English classes the next day. In his new country he honed his skills as a tailor and patternmaker in the garment district of Manhattan. In addition to his three children, he had the pleasure of three grandchildren and six great grandchildren. He remained an active tailor in ladies fashion until his final days—making skirts and jackets for loved one until the end.

The family will gather Sunday, September 28th at Riverdale-on-Hudson Funeral Home from 11am until 1 pm. The burial will follow at Sharon Gardens Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.