Obituary

Michael Tratner, a longtime Rockville Centre resident and local accountant who served as the treasurer of the Rockville Centre Guild for the Arts, died in his sleep on Aug. 23. He was 67 years old.

Tratner, born on Manhattan’s Lower East Side on April 25, 1942, was a 1959 graduate of Seward Park High School in Manhattan, and recently attended the school’s 50th reunion. He went on to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree from Hunter College, and attended Brooklyn Law School for two years before changing his career path and entering the accounting field.

He began his career as a revenue agent with the Internal Revenue Service, before starting a tax accounting practice, ACC-U-TAX, in Brooklyn in the early 1970s. After selling that practice in the early 1980s, he formed what would become 1040 Management, headquartered on N. Park Ave. in Rockville Centre, working with long-time partner Roberta Galtieri.  

Tratner, who was always quick with a colorful story, a funny joke or serious money management and tax advice for all who entered his office or got him on the phone, moved to Rockville Centre in 1984. He volunteered his time and his accounting skills for the Rockville Centre Guild for the Arts, and was a highly visible, tireless promoter of their various events throughout the year, including the July fireworks at Centennial Park/Mill River, the annual fall musical and the full-length performance of “The Nutcracker Suite” with the South Shore Symphony Orchestra every December.

"Michael has been a volunteer with the Guild for quite a few years," said Wayne Lipton, its acting president. "Despite the fact that he would sometimes show up for performances, sometimes staying, sometimes leaving because he wasn't always an afficionado of the arts, he was a dedicated supporter of the Guild and it was a shock to all of us that he passed so unexpectedly. He was always there when we needed him and he'll be sorely missed."

When he wasn’t busy with the Guild or in his office — which wasn’t often — he enjoyed playing poker, watching baseball and spending time with his grandchildren.

His pride and joy were his grandchildren: Brooke Abigail, 3, of Fair Lawn, N.J., and Ian Marcus, 1, of Manhattan. Friends and clients say he would always introduce them to his grandchildren via photos from the moment they entered his office. He added a third grandchild posthumously, as Lucas Orin Gard of Morrisville, Pa. was born last week. 

Tratner is survived by his three children, David (and Jessica) Tratner, of Fair Lawn, N.J.; Matthew (and Susan) Tratner, of Manhattan, and Allison Tratner (and Peter) Gard, of Morrisville, Pa.; and his brother, Terry (and Diane) Tratner, of Forest Hills.

Funeral services were held on Aug. 26 in Forest Hills with burial at Beth Israel Cemetery in Woodbridge, N.J.