Former store owner dies
A former longtime owner of a well-known Butler department store died Sunday.
Arthur Jaffe, 93, died at his home in Delray Beach, Fla., after a short illness.
From 1948 to 1979, he was a partner in the family business, I.M. Jaffe & Sons, which operated retail stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. The business was founded by his father, I. Max Jaffe.
The main store, which initially was called House of Jaffe before becoming Jaffe’s, was founded in 1924.
“It was much beloved by the public. It was a very high-quality store,” his brother, attorney Norman Jaffe said.
He said the store mainly was known for its fashion items. It moved several times in Butler. Its final location was in the current Holly Pointe building on South Main Street.
Arthur Jaffe and his brother Sidney Jaffe sold the business to their other brother, Lewis Jaffe, in 1979. The store closed in the early 1980s.
After leaving the business, Arthur Jaffe moved to Pittsburgh. He became the director of endowments for the Carnegie Museum of Art and also was involved with the United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh.
Later, he moved to Florida. There, he became the director of endowments and development for several charitable organizations.
He established the Arthur and Mata Jaffe Center for Book Arts at Florida Atlantic University, starting by donating his private book collection. Norman Jaffe said his brother was interested in books as pieces of art.
“He had a very substantial collection,” his brother said.
He was the curator of the center for 13 years before he retired in 2011.
Jaffe graduated from Butler High School in 1938 and went on to study at Penn State University.
He served in the U.S. Army in World War II, starting in 1942. After that, he joined the Haganah, the Jewish Defense Force, from 1946 to 1948, engaged in the struggle for the establishment of Israel.
“In 1948, he came back to Butler,” his brother said.
Norman Jaffe said his brother was involved in the community, particularly in education, arts and theater. His brother also was involved heavily in congregational life at the Congregation B’nai Abraham.
“All kinds of good qualities,” he said.
Arrangements for Jaffe are being handled by the Thompson-Miller Funeral Home, Butler.
