Obituary: Arthur Heyman II

Arthur Heyman II, 92, passed away May 27. Born December 31, 1926, to the late Josephine Joel and Herman Heyman, Arthur lived in Atlanta his entire life. He shared his life for 52 years with his late beloved wife Elsye Weil Heyman. He is survived by daughters Terri (Marc Cohen) Heyman of Sandy Springs and Pam Lavender of New Milford, Conn.; grandsons Aaron Lavender, Andrew (Maya) Lavender, Adam Lavender, Alex Cohen and Beth (Jesse) Pullias; and great-grandson Rio Paul Lavender. Arthur is also survived by his loving companion Shirley Michalove.

Arthur graduated from Druid Hills High School in Decatur in 1943 and was a lifetime Atlantan except for his college years at the University of Georgia and his service in the U.S. Navy as a radio operator from 1944 to 1946. He received his bachelor’s in business from UGA in 1948. Arthur joined Davison’s Department Store as men’s sportswear buyer. In 1958, he founded his own store, Arthur’s Men’s and Boy’s Shop, in southwest Atlanta, which was a ticket agent for the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Falcons. In 1968, he began a successful career developing shopping centers, particularly Kmart stores. In 1971 Arthur became president and CEO of Financial Properties, a subsidiary of Abrams Industries, and in 1983 he became a partner in T.O.H. Associates until his full retirement in 2009. Arthur was a founding member of Temple Sinai in 1968 and remained active until the end of his life, serving as president from 1980 to 82 and on many committees.

He had a lifelong passion for Reform Judaism and served on the national boards of the Union for Reform Judaism from 1987 to 2008, and as an honorary board member until his death, including working on the Maintenance of Union Membership committee, Association of Reform Zionists of America, and he was a delegate to the World Zionist Congress many times.

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Arthur loved to travel, making it to all seven continents in his lifetime, and was proud of being a driver for Israel’s Olympic team during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Arthur was an avid golfer and achieved two golfing milestones in his life: shooting a round of golf below his age and making a hole in one.

Most of all, Arthur will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, great-uncle, cousin and friend to many people he supported throughout his life, whose lives were blessed by his presence, and who will be diminished by his absence. The family would like to thank his caregivers Morris, Prisca and especially Sharon Oliver. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Weinstein Hospice or Temple Sinai’s Arthur and Elsye Heyman Endowment Fund.