Gilbert Donald “Gil” Waldman, 88, passed away peacefully on June 6 at his Phoenix home—surrounded by family, following a long battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. A businessman, art collector and philanthropist, he was highly regarded as a man of great character and integrity by all who knew him.

Born on Sept. 7, 1931, in Hillside, NJ; Waldman grew up in Albany, NY. He was the son of Elsie Brooks Waldman and Irving J. Waldman, who operated a small industrial laundry business in the Albany area. Gil attended Albany High School, then received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from the ...