Former County Supreme Court judge dies at 82

Norman Janowitz will be remembered for his sense of humor and the close bond he had with his family.

Janowitz died at 82 on Jan. 4 from pneumonia. Janowitz met his wife Barbara 30 years ago. They separated, but found their way back to each other in the 90s.

Barbara was married to Norman for 23 years. Dara Goldstein, Norman's daughter, recalls seeing Norman spend lots of quality time with Barbara.

“They spent all their time together especially in recent years because he retired,” Goldstein said.

Goldstein being Norman’s only biological child, she said she was really close with him throughout his whole life. When Norman was married to his first wife, who is Goldstein's mother, they moved to Lynbrook.

During his early life, Norman lived in Oceanside and later graduated from Oceanside High School. He then moved to the Bronx before moving back to the Island in the late 70s.

Norman received his bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University in 1963 and his law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 1966. He was admitted to the Bar in 1967. He worked at a private practice attorney in East Rockaway from 1970 to 1998. Then, he joined the Nassau County District Court in 1999, following his election.

He served there until he became a Supreme Court justice in 2011. Following his retirement in the Supreme Court in 2018, Norman became a traffic court judge.

Barbara said that one of the main hobbies Norman enjoyed was spending time with his grandchildren. She also said that Norman, a registered Republican, was “very politically involved” and attend lots of political dinners.

Also, Norman would spend his time as a member in several law associations. He was part of the Nassau County Bar Association, the Nassau County Lawyers Association, the Nassau County District Court Judges Association, the Criminal Courts Bar Association, the Jewish Lawyer’s Association, and the Nassau Women’s Bar Association.

“Kind, generous, loving,” Barbara said to describe her late husband.

Barbara explained that Norman showed his generosity through the time he spent with his family. She mentioned that he would take his children and grandchildren on trips. He also would celebrate the holidays and birthdays with his family.

“He had a very, very good sense of humor,” Goldstein said. “And everyone loved him.”

This love was shared on Facebook recently when news of Norman’s death was posted on the site.

“Last night, I was told my uncle Norman passed away,” Samantha Dawn said in a Facebook post. “He was extremely sick, and his passing was very sudden and unexpected. We all love him immensely and will miss him just as much. Norman, you might be gone now but you will never be forgotten.”

Norman’s funeral was held on Jan. 8 at 11 a.m. in Levittown. Barbara said, “it was packed,” which marked the amount of lives that Norman touched over the years.

“He was very active in the community and was known and loved by so many people,” Goldstein said.

Goldstein highlighted a message that someone sent her last week about Norman in which they described him as a “larger than life personality.” Goldstein felt that was an accurate description. Perhaps not in his latter years, she said, but back in the day he was the “life of the party.”

“Everyone was very drawn to him because he had this very big personality,” Goldstein added.

Norman is survived by his children Dara Goldstein and Jonathan Stark; his daughter-in-law Lauren Stark and son-in-law Jared Goldstein; his grandchildren Harlie and Payton Goldstein and Winnie and Louise Stark.