Lester Paley, community leader, 84

Lester Paley, civil engineer and longtime Jewish community leader, died Dec. 31 at 84.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Paley attended City College of New York at the age of 16. He graduated from Iowa State College and married Sylvia Lazarus in 1948.

Paley went into practice for himself as a civil engineer in 1959 and founded Lester Paley and Associates that same year. The family moved to Van Nuys that year and became an integral part of the Valley Cities Jewish Community Center, as well as the Valley Kindershule and Mittelshule — two institutions that they helped shape and that in turn shaped them. He stewarded the many remodels and capital projects of the JCC on Burbank Boulevard, and donated countless hours as a board member, president and committee chair. He fought valiantly but in the end lost the battle to save the Valley Cities Jewish Community Center, which was sold in 2008.

As a professional, Paley left his mark on Los Angeles.  Practicing civil engineering and architecture, his small firm had a hand in almost a thousand commercial and residential structures, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Shopping Center (the first new commercial investment in Watts after the 1965 riots), Gower Gulch Shopping Center, numerous Big 5 stores, Ralphs, Jons Markets, Thrifty Drug Stores, and, more recently, the interior and/or exterior of Whole Foods Markets, including those in Santa Monica, Venice, Pasadena and many more. Paley worked continuously and full time at his firm for 51 years and was at work just two days before he died.

A world traveler, committed to social justice and Jewish identity, he loved celebrations, family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Sylvia Doris Lazarus Paley; his three children, Cynthia Paley Aboody, Robin Paley and Aaron Paley; their spouses, Herzel Aboody, Tiky Paley and Judith Teitelman; and his six grandchildren, Ariel, Maya, Avital, Daniella, Oren and Leor. Funeral services were held on Jan. 3 at Mount Sinai Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider donating to Yiddishkayt, 3780 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1000, Los Angeles, Calif.  90010 or online at yiddishkayt.org.