Obituary of Bob Korngold

Bob died peacefully in his sleep in his home in Boulder, Colorado of natural causes. A graduate of Queens College in Economics in 1952, Bob worked at IBM and Xerox. In 1979, he was a consultant for the Revlon Company tracking their sales using a revolutionary new program called “VisiCalc” which was the first computer spreadsheet program. An early advocate of computers, and facile with computer science and technology, he became an Apple developer. He created and hosted PC Talk Radio, a radio program dedicated to talking about computer programs and their glitches. He was early in understanding the potential for the use of the letters on a telephone keypad for answering questions or collecting data, and his ideas foreshadowed Movie Phone. An entrepreneur and innovator, his companies included: Abacus, American BioCulture, The Atom Reports, Gear, The Manager, Megavoice, Pathtalk, Visicalc Users group. In his retirement he and his wife, Carole Wolfe Korngold created Montessori Home, to help improve literacy in young children. Bob’s hobby was writing. He enjoyed writing screenplays and poetry and he composed the liturgical song "Welcome Welcome the Feeling of the Sabbath." He was published in Shalom Magazine. He was a dedicated athlete, running (and later walking) every morning. Bob attended officers training school with the U.S. armed forces and served honorably as a Commissioned Officer in the Navy in active service in the Korean war for 4 years, and then 1 year stationed in Japan. At the time of entry, October 1952, his rank was Seaman Recruit. He received an American Defense Korean Theatre Service Medal. At the time of discharge in March 1957, he had the rank of Lieutenant in the Supply Corps. He married Carole Wolfe on August 28, 1960 in Delmar, NY. A long-time resident of Edgemont (in Scarsdale, NY) he and Carole were early members of Woodlands Community Temple, helping to create the culture there. He served as the Bar/Bat Mitzvah teacher. They were devoted members of Temple Bet Am Shalom. He continued to participate in their virtual services from his home in Boulder, CO. Bob was a larger than life character who overflowed with his unique humor, new ideas, and zest for life, even as he sometimes challenged us with his unconventional ways. He was a loyal friend, who was dedicated to his beloved wife, Carole, who passed away in November 2019. He is survived by his 2 daughters, K.T. Korngold, and Rabbi Jamie Korngold, a son in law, Michael Whaley and 4 granddaughters, Sarah Korngold Whaley (25), Emma Korngold Whaley (19), Sadie Korngold (16) and Ori Korngold (13). We celebrate Bob, and his commitment to family, community, the development of youth and his marvelous presence, energy and engagement. May his memory be a blessing.