Norman Greif, businessman, dies at 71

With his suspenders, Russian fur hat, and the unlit cigar that he always held in his hand years after he quit the odoriferous habit, Lloyd Harbor resident Norman Greif cut a distinctive figure.

"He wore white V-neck T-shirts with overalls and cowboy boots, and he would drive around in his Lincoln Continental," said his daughter, Malissa Schmidt of St. James. "He was really just a character."

Greif, who was also a serious businessman who founded Randy International, a large airfreight shipping company in Jamaica, Queens, died of pancreatic cancer on Thursday. He was 71.

Greif was born in England on June 12, 1939, to Jewish Austrian parents who had fled their native country to avoid Nazi persecution. He and his parents came through Ellis Island when Greif was 6, and the family settled in the Bronx, joined by Greif's two older brothers who had come to America earlier, said his wife, Trisha Greif.

Greif worked a succession of odd jobs before an uncle introduced him to the airfreight shipping business, Trisha Greif said.

"He loved it," she said. "He said it was never work."

In 1969, Norman Greif and business partner Wilfred Lembck of Bellmore created Randy International, Lembck said. Named after Greif's oldest son, the venture soon became a worldwide shipping concern, Lembck said, handling accounts of large companies such as Estee Lauder, Pfizer, and Bausch and Lomb.

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Lembck said Greif's outsized personality and inventive ways of dealing with customers were impressive.

"He had a very powerful personality - that's what made him so successful in sales," said Lembck. "He was a person who never gave up."

In 1997, Randy International was merged into another shipping business, and Greif began moving into retirement.

Trisha Greif said she and her husband often traveled, going to South Africa, France and England to visit friends. His daughter said he was a dedicated swimmer, but preferred to dip in the pool at the local YMCA rather than swimming solo in his own backyard pool.

"He loved people and he loved being around people," Schmidt said.

Greif enjoyed a game of Texas Hold 'Em from time to time. But, his wife said, "his favorite hobby was working."

In addition to his wife and daughter, Greif is survived by sons Randy Greif of Huntington, Eric Greif of Huntington, and Jason Greif of Tampa; daughter Shari Ovalle of East Islip; eight grandchildren; and his first wife, Sheila.

A service was held Sunday. His family said his remains will be cremated and his ashes scattered around his home in Lloyd Harbor.