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Obituaries

Samuel Barson, restaurateur

Samuel Barson, 85, of Penn Valley, a retired restaurateur who once owned 13 establishments in the Philadelphia area, died of sepsis Wednesday at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

    by Sally A. Downey, Inquirer Staff Writer
    Published 

Samuel Barson, 85, of Penn Valley, a retired restaurateur who once owned 13 establishments in the Philadelphia area, died of sepsis Wednesday at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Mr. Barson dropped out of Olney High School to help his father, Leon, make cole slaw and potato salad, which were delivered to area stores.

During World War II he was an Army medic in the States.

After his discharge, Mr. Barson and his father operated a restaurant in West Philadelphia. In 1950 he opened Barson's luncheonette in Overbrook Park. The luncheonette was famous for ice cream treats including waffles with ice cream, Teenager Delight, Battle Ship - with pretzel sticks for guns - Dusty Road, and a 12-scoop special, Kitchen Sink.

Mr. Barson eventually opened a Barson's luncheonette in Northeast Philadelphia, and with partners owned 11 other restaurants featuring delicatessen specialties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including Hymie's Delicatessen in Merion, which is now run by his son Louis.

Mr. Barson sold or closed the other restaurants before retiring in 1999. His passions were his work and his family, his son Stephen said. Mr. Barson was a Mason. In addition to his sons, Mr. Barson is survived by his wife of 47 years, Mary Ann F. "Freddi" Scarpa Barson; sons Ray and Leon; daughter Lisa; nine grandchildren; and his former wife, Florence Mazer.

The funeral will be at 2 p.m. today at Goldsteins' Rosenberg's Raphael-Sacks Memorial Chapel, 6410 N. Broad St.