Irwin M. Birnbaum

Irwin M. Birnbaum, 88 of Charlestown, Rhode Island, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on Wednesday, February 7th, 2024. He was the husband of Arlene (Burrows) Birnbaum. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was a son of the late Sol and Rose (Cohen) Birnbaum.

Irwin was a graduate of Brooklyn College and the NYU School of Law.

Irwin began his distinguished career at Montefiore Medical Center in New York and rose to the position of Vice President and CFO. Upon leaving Montefiore, he joined the law firm of Proskauer Rose LLP where he spent many years as a partner in their healthcare practice. He retired from Proskauer Rose to become the COO of the Yale School of Medicine. While at Yale, and for many years after his retirement, Irwin was an advisor to the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars program. Irwin was an active member of the boards of trustees of several organizations, including Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, Federation of Jewish Philanthropies in New York City, South County Hospital in Wakefield, Rhode Island, and the Cross Mills Library in Charlestown, Rhode Island. He also served as an executive committee member of the Hospital Trustees of New York State.

Outside of his career, Irwin was an avid reader and enjoyed playing tennis and sailing his boat on Watchaug Pond. Most importantly, he was loved by his family and respected and adored by all that had known him. Irwin had a warm and generous personality and was a wonderful mentor to many. It is impossible to overstate his fundamental decency.

In addition to his wife, Irwin is survived by his children, Leslie Kline and her husband Steve, Amy Heath and her husband Andrew, son in law Thomas Judson, grandchildren, Elizabeth Schwab and her husband Spencer, Emily Ventura, Benjamin Heath, and Abigail Heath, as well as his brother, Philip Birnbaum and his wife Marilyn. He was the father of the late Bruce Birnbaum.

Irwin’s services are private at the request of his family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to God’s Love We Deliver, c/o Development Department, 166 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013 or visit https://www.glwd.org/