Obituary of Ira Nathan Nottonson
Ira Nathan Nottonson passed away from natural causes March 27, 2018 in Boulder. He was 85.
He was not only a great, loving father but also a lifelong teacher and mentor to his children and countless others in his life. He was full of life, playing tennis and continuing to help clients buy, sell and value their businesses well into his 80s.
Ira was born February 14, 1933 to Samuel Solomon Nottonson and Florence Grassgreen Nottonson in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Brookline (Massachusetts) High School.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a JD from Boston College Law School. During the 1950s, he served as a captain in the U.S. Army.
Ira had a long, varied and successful career. He served as general counsel to International Industries from 1973-76, and vice president and general counsel from 1976-83 and managing director from 1984-86 for Postal Instant Press.
He also was a noted entrepreneur, author and playwright. He published 10 books in diverse genres, including business, law and children’s literature. Many of his short dramatic plays were produced by Playhouse Workshop in the 1960s and he created and produced “Ideas on Trial”, a pioneering legal and political talk show, which he co-hosted with famed attorney F. Lee Bailey.
Ira moved to the Boulder and Broomfield area in 1993, where he was an active member of the community, teaching business and law classes for Boulder Area Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Development Center and writing a business column for the Daily Camera for nearly 20 years. He was a member of the local Mastermind group that met locally for 25 years and a member of the Harvest House Tennis Association for 15 years.
Ira is survived by his partner of 50 years, Sandra Baker Burton, of Boulder; two daughters, Kelly Burton of Boulder and Lisa Nottonson Lecko of San Diego; three sons, Scott Burton of Palo Alto, California, Kenneth “Kip” Burton of San Francisco, and Anthony Nottonson of Long Beach, California; and six grandchildren, Kelly, Alex, Thomas, Nicholas, Lucy and Benny.
Private family services will be held.