Gary Jastrow

GARY JASTROW
Gary Jastrow, age 78, father of David (Audrey) Jastrow and Howie Jastrow, died on September 10, 2026 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Gary was predeceased by his wife, Myrna Jastrow, to whom he was happily married for 53 years at the time of her passing in 2023.

He will be greatly missed by his two sons, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters, all of whom he loved deeply. He was the older brother to Debbie Bentman, born to Molly and Harold Jastrow, born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia.

Gary graduated from Northeast High School in 1965 and earned a Bachelors of Science in Textile Engineering in 1969 from The Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science (now part of Thomas Jefferson University).

He served in the Army Reserve where among other duties, he was the cook, or what he referred to as “the most feared and revered man in the U.S. Army.”

Professionally, no one worked harder than Gary. He achieved tremendous success as an apparel industry executive who served as the Senior Vice President of Manufacturing for Sag Harbor (a division of Kellwood Co.), where he built an import sourcing group from scratch, scaling annual product purchases from under $1 million to over $300 million. One close friend said, “he was the best production guy I ever worked with.”

Gary went from someone who had never traveled in an airplane as a kid from the Northeast to having a passport so thick the passport office needed to add extra pages, travelling to countries including China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Korea, Egypt, Portugal, and Spain.

Gary was known for being honest, authentic, and rough around the edges. He never backed down from a fight, but he also was sincere, caring, and generous. No one ever walked away from a conversation with Gary saying, “I wonder what he was thinking.” They always knew.

Gary was a fanatical Philadelphia sports fan, especially for his beloved Philadelphia Eagles football team.

But his greatest accomplishment was his family. He loved nothing more than spending time down the shore on his boat with his wife, on the golf course or on vacations with his sons, and on the beach with his dogs.

When his granddaughters were born, it was love at first sight. He enjoyed nothing more than spoiling them with candy from the Boardwalk and any toys they wanted, or playing with them in the sand by the ocean.

He lived his life loudly, fully, mischievously, and authentically, and would prefer that his friends laugh and reminisce about the good times than cry about his passing.

His favorite toast reflected his sense of humor, irony, fun, and love of life: “May you always get what you want. May you always get what you need. May you never get what you deserve!”

Relatives and friends are invited Monday, September 14, 2026, beginning 8:30 AM to PLATT MEMORIAL CHAPELS, Inc. 2001 Berlin Rd. Cherry Hill, NJ where funeral services will begin promptly at 9:00 AM.

Funeral services will also be live streamed on Gary’s memorial page at www.plattmemorial.com Burial will follow at Locustwood Memorial Park in Cherry Hill, NJ.

The family will receive guests at the home of David and Audrey Jastrow following the burial on Monday only.

Contributions in Gary’s memory can be made to The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer's: http://act.alz.org/goto/JASTROWDOME