Bernard Stanley Silverstein was a glorious man who profoundly loved and was loved by all his children: Joan and Dan, Matthew, Steven and Cathy, Jennifer and Fred, Josh and Jessica, Tom, Stefanie and the mother of his children, Elaine. And his grandchildren, how Poppy cherished every one of them: Sophie, Hannah, Max, Asher, Jonah & Alexa, Ethan, Lila, Benjamin, Ava, Molly, Will, Julia, and Lizzie.
And I, his wife Maggie, was changed to the best I could be by our 35 years together.
His friends! Their arms were around him during his long illness.
His warmth, his wit, his passion, his competitive and indefatigable spirit defined his long, full, beautiful, and blessed life. To those he touched along the way, his mark was indelible and joyful.
He was born on May 2, 1929, to Blanche and Max Silverstein and grew up in Washington Heights with his dear sister Gloria.
When he was a New York kid he knew he wanted to be a doctor. And so he was:
He studied at N.Y. Medical College, the University of Michigan, and Yale University.
He served in the Air Force before he started his practice.
He was a founder of South Miami Hospital and a practicing Cardiologist for 51 years. He served as chief of the Medical Staff (twice!), spent much on his career on that Board, was chosen to be Man of the Year. He was a full professor and taught residents and fellows in the U.M. program at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
He was a doctor who always felt he was meant to be a doctor and loved his practice and his patients.
This is the kind of doctor he was: He gave his patients his home or cell phone number – or both. Once a patient called him at 5:30 a.m. to tell him she was feeling better. “That’s good,” he said and went back to sleep. When he was called at home, this is what he would say: “Come into my office”.
He was always a student: piano, drawing, bridge, golf. He sang for many years in the Miami Civic Chorale.
If you would like to make a donation in his name it could be to Doctors Without Borders.
We are grateful for his beautiful life and the lifelong gifts and the comfort he gave to all of us.