Nathaniel “Nat” Yohalem died June 6, 2023. Born September 25, 1936 and raised in Mount Vernon, N.Y., he was a track star at AB Davis High School, graduating in 1954. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1958. Nat was president of both his high school and college fraternities. In 1961, he graduated Columbia Law School and then married the love of his life, Louise Nestanpower.
In Mount Vernon, Nat was a Democratic City Committee member and a board member of the YM-YWHA. He also taught ethics at Free Synagogue. In 1972, he and Louise moved to Westfield, N.J. with their two daughters. Nat was a founding board member of the Westfield YM-YWHA and loved coaching middle school sports. A highly respected attorney sought after for his honesty and negotiation skills, Nat practiced corporate and regulatory law for more than 50 years before he retired.
Nat and Louise agreed that moving to New Marlborough was one of the best decisions they ever made. He served there on the town Select Board for nine years, three years of which he was chairman, one of the great joys of his life. In 2022, Smitty Pignatelli presented him with the award of New Marlborough Volunteer of the Year. Nat’s most fervent belief was that all people deserve equal treatment. He was friend and mentor to many, a passionate—though middling—golfer, and constant reader. He also loved travel, road tripping throughout the U.S. and Canada tirelessly at the wheel.
Nat was the son of Bertie and Walter Yohalem and brother of the late Ira Yohalem. In addition to his wife, he is survived and adored by daughters Jennifer and Eve; sons-in-law Ronald Rutstein and Nicholas Polsky; and grandchildren Joseph Polsky, Maya Polsky, and Jacob Mann.
Burial will be private. A memorial gathering will be held on Thursday, June 8 at noon at the Meeting House on Route 57 in New Marlborough. Donations in Nat’s memory should be made to a charity of your choice. To send remembrances to his family, please visit the website of Finnerty & Stevens Funeral Home.
