Obituary of Marvin Chertkoff

Marvin J. Chertkoff of Fort Lee, NJ passed away on February 16, 2021, at the age of 90 from natural causes.  He is mourned by his wife of 58 years, Janet Chertkoff (nee Rosen), his son Matthew, daughter-in-law Hemma, granddaughter Kayla, brother Jerome, many loving nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, friends and colleagues.   

He was a quietly accomplished man.  He received a BS in Pharmacy, MS in Pharmaceutical Chemistry both from the University of Maryland and later earned a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from Perdue University. 

Marvin was commissioned a Lieutenant  in the US Army Medical Service Corps and retired a Captain after two years of active duty.  In the corporate world, he worked for Merck, Hoffman-La Roche and finally Givaudan as Vice-President of the Chemical Division.  He eventually left Givaudan to successfully start and operate his own company, Bio-Zest, based in Bergen County. 

He was an active member of Temple Israel of Ridgewood for over 25 years and later joined Gesher Shalom once they relocated to Fort Lee.  After a lifetime of travel, skiing, backgammon and Sunday afternoon football, he returned to his first love: learning. He was a student and teacher of the Bible from an historical, literary and archaeological viewpoint. In addition to teaching at adult ed programs, he served on many committees at the synagogues and the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey.

His family and friends will dearly miss his guidance, wit and intellect.  Donations may be made to Network for Responsible Public Policy, PO Box 476, Ridgewood, NJ  07451 or the Yiddish Book Center in MA.