Sidney J. Zalkind, 99, passed away on September 29, 2021 in his home at the Carlyle Towers in Cliffside, Park, NJ. His last day was spent resting in the company of his three daughters.

Sidney was born July 19, 1922, in Brooklyn, NY to parents, Benjamin and Dora Zalkind. He was the youngest of three children. After graduating, Sidney served as a sergeant in the Army Air Corps from 1943-1946, bringing supplies over “the hump” to India from China. He bailed out, after his plane caught fire, due to mechanical difficulties, into the Burmese jungle, where he survived for 3 days on his wits and survival instincts. During a visit stateside, Sidney met a girl from the Bronx, Vivian Zemachov, whom he later married in 1945. Sidney attended two years at CCNY, where he obtained an associate’s degree in business.

After working for others for a short period of time, Sidney along with six other partners, opened their own company, Alliance Paper and Packaging Company, located in Farmingdale, NY. As a sales director for the company, Sidney showed the same strategic thinking and survival instinct that kept him alive in the jungles of Burma, to make innovative contributions to Alliance Paper and Packaging that are still in print today on the packaging of some iconic products, such as the treble clef on the pink Sweet & Low packets. After selling the company in the 70’s, Sidney went to work as a special sales consultant for Bunzel Paper & Packaging Company, where he made significant contributions until his eventual retirement from business in the 80’s.

From 1983 until 1996, Sidney served on the Forest Hills Gardens’ Homeowners Association in a variety of leadership roles. In 1996, Sidney and Vivian, both native New Yorkers, relocated to Cliffside Park, NJ, where Sidney was an active member of the Carlyle Towers Condominium Board, serving for a period as the president of the board.

Sidney is survived by his three daughters, Ann Zalkind Sullivan (Brien Sullivan), Debra Zalkind and Jessica Jacobs (z’l)Seth Jacobs, along with his grandchildren, Stephen Sullivan, Rayna Donatelli, Tanya Donatelli, Alexandra Campbell, Jill Jacobs (Brannen Basham). He is predeceased by his wife, Vivian Zalkind, his parents Benjamin and Dora Zalkind, his brother Kenneth Zalkind, and his sister, Mary Kleban.

A private graveside service was held at Cedar Park/Beth El Cemeteries in Paramus, NJ on Sunday, October 3, 2021 at 11:30 am, where Sidney was buried with military honors.