Obituary of Jay S. Poser

Jay S. Poser, 71, of Lancaster, PA, died unexpectedly, Saturday, May 8, 2004, at the Lancaster General Hospital following a brief illness. He was the husband of Joan E. Rapps Poser for forty years. With his brother D. Leonard Poser, he co-owned the Posers Stores in Huntingdon, Hershey, Camp Hill, Williamsport and Lancaster, PA, as well as the LeRoy Shops in Trenton, Langhorne and Lawrence, New Jersey. The Huntingdon Department Store was nearly a century old at its closing; the Park City Ladies Store in Lancaster was the first ladies clothing store to open in the new mall in 1971. Born in Huntingdon, PA, he was the son of Lester and Tybie Poser. He was a graduate of Huntingdon High School, the Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration, and he earned certification in real estate and financial planning. Mr. Poser served two years active duty in Japan with the United States Army Counter Intelligence Corps. He played basketball on teams in his high school, at Penn State, with the Army throughout the Far East, and in central Pennsylvania with church and recreational leagues. He was also an avid golfer and had been a member at one time of the Huntingdon Country Club, Chestnut Ridge Country Club in Baltimore, and Meadia Heights Country Club in Lancaster. He was encyclopedic in sports knowledge and enjoyed attending all sports events, but in particular basketball at Franklin and Marshall College, football at Penn State, and baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Baltimore Orioles. He was a member of Phi Sigma Delta Fraternity while at Penn State and was eager to join his fraternity brothers at their forecoming Fiftieth Reunion. He enjoyed playing cards with friends, reading mystery novels, and traveling throughout the United States, the Carribean, and to Italy to visit an exchange student and her family. Mr. Poser was a member of Temple Beth El in Lancaster and belonged to its Mens Club. Previously, he was president and a longtime member of Agudath Achim Synagogue in Huntingdon. Following the closing of the Poser Stores in 1994, Mr. Poser formed his own business in accessory sales. In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son, Lester P. Poser of Baltimore, and a daughter, Toby A. Poser of New York City, a son-in-law, John Hamilton Adams and two granddaughters, Lulu Em Adams and Zelda Star Adams, all of New York, and a brother, D. Leonard Poser of Boca Raton, Florida. He was preceded in death by a sister, Raisa Poser Robinson. A graveside service will be held on Tuesday, May 11 at 4:00pm in the Hebrew Cemetery, New Market Rd., in South Plainfield, NJ with Rabbi Moshe Samber officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of the Higgins Home for Funerals, 752 Mountain Blvd., in Watchung, NJ