Irving Barkan Obituary (1922 - 2017)

Irving Barkan, age 95, passed away on October 8, 2017. Preceded in death by his parents, Louis and Ethel Barkan; son, William “Billy” Barkan; brother, Yale Barkan; sister, Ina Landy. He is survived by his wife of 73 years, Ruth Barkan; sons, Steven Barkan and Neal Barkan (LeAndra Speaks); grandchildren, Josh Barkan, Elliot Barkan (Corinne Hale), Jennifer Barkan, Davida Fernandez Barkan and Daniel Fernandez Barkan; great grandsons, Lukah Barkan and Liam Maldonado; several nieces and nephews. Irv earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and then went on to serve as a 1st Lieutenant in the US Army during WWII from 1942-1946. Irv graduated from Cleveland Marshall Law School and later became one of the original founders of the law firm Barkan, Barkan & Neff, and then worked with his son, Neal, for 30 years at their law firm Barkan & Barkan LPA. Irv was considered a visionary in the Columbus Jewish Community and served on many different boards, including extensive involvement with the Jewish Community Center, the Columbus Jewish Federation, the Columbus Jewish Foundation, Temple Israel, and Jewish War Veterans of Columbus. Irv was also past President of Wexner Heritage House where he earned a lifetime appointment to the board of directors of Wexner Heritage Village. Playing and watching sports was Irv’s passion. From playing baseball at Harvard, to coaching Little League teams, to AK softball at the JCC, he was a true mentor to sports fans of all ages and a lifelong Cleveland Indians fan. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Wednesday, October 11 at Epstein Memorial Chapel, 3232 E. Main St. Interment will follow at Forest Lawn – Temple Israel section. The family will receive friends at Wexner Heritage House from 2-6 pm on Wednesday and Kaddish will be recited at 5 pm. The family will also receive friends on Thursday from 2-5 pm and 7-9 pm at Wexner Heritage House. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the William Barkan Memorial Fund at the Columbus Jewish Foundation or the Wexner Heritage House.