Arnold Robert Blitzer

Arnold Robert Blitzer, 88, husband, father, grandfather, brother, and great friend, passed away on April 12, 2023, after a courageous battle with Pancreatic Cancer. He was born on October 25, 1934, in Chicago, Illinois, but moved with his family at age 11 to Cincinnati, Ohio, and lived most of his adult life in Cleveland, Ohio. He and Marion moved to Houston on February 2, 2023, and he immediately claimed he loved Texas. A graduate of Hughes High School in 1952, he went on to graduate from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in business in 1957. While in school, he was an active member of Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, and later served as treasurer on the Octagon, the national board of the fraternity. He met Marion in 1960 at a JCC mixer. They married in 1961 and moved to Cleveland shortly thereafter. A manufacturer’s representative, he started his company Classic Products and sold many major brands of houseware products, including Glad (The Man from Glad). He helped introduce the world to Zip Lock bags for Union Carbide when they were first created, and many other well-known products he helped bring to everyday households. Upon retirement from the rep business, he opened two I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt restaurant franchises in the Cleveland area along with a ICBIY kiosk at the Cleveland Zoo. Starting in 1995 at the age of 61, he and Marion would spend four months out of the year in his happy place --his home on the island of Grenada--escaping the Cleveland winters. He spent his time in Cleveland volunteering as a board member at the City of Twinsburg library and also volunteered on a regular basis with the Cleveland justice system to assist in alternative sentencing for convicted felons to keep them from going to jail. A die-hard Cubs fan since childhood, he secured a coveted license plate “CUB FAN”, which remained his license plate until this past week. His email address was OhioCubFan@gmail.com. He rarely missed a game, and one of his childhood dreams came true when his Cubbies clinched the World Series pennant in game 7 against the Cleveland Indians in 2016. He was also a huge Cleveland Cavaliers basketball fan, with a pair of center court seats that he and Marion would enjoy season after season. He was preceded in death by his parents Murry and Rose Blitzer and his half brother Nate Blitzer. He is survived by his wife Marion, his brother Darryl (Pat), sister-in-law Evelyn, his children, Todd (Andrea), Scott (Alyssa), and Wendy (Shannon), his four grandchildren Devin, Greer, Lily, and Ben, nieces and nephews, numerous life-long friends, and his devoted Labradoodle, Maggie. His family wishes to recognize his caring team of physicians and nurses at University Hospital and MD Anderson, and his caregiver, Tequila Holmes. The graveside service will be held on Sunday April 16, 2023, at 2:00 pm at Emanu El Memorial Park, located at 8341 Bissonnet, Houston, Texas 77074. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the University Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, MD Anderson Pancreatic Cancer Research Center in Houston, Texas, or the charity of your choice.

Arnold Robert Blitzer

October 25, 1934 - April 12, 2023