Sanford Gary "Sy" Youngerman passed away on November 2nd, 2018, at ManorCare Health Services in Laureldale. He was the son of the late Irving and Catherine (Saul) Youngerman.

Youngerman was born and lived his entire life in the Reading area except while in college and the military. He graduated from Mount Penn High School in 1950, where he was class president and a two-sport athlete in soccer and basketball. Playing guard for the Mountaineers, his senior year basketball squad went 22-2. He later graduated from Penn State University.

He met his wife, Sandra "Honey" Wasserman as a child, the two of them marrying in 1953. Sy, who earned his
nickname as the combination of his initials, and Honey had three sons: Hank, Mitch, and Brian. All of their children graduated from Reading High School and later earned college degrees. He and Honey were married 60 years until she passed away in 2014.

Sy worked for a number of years for IBM as a systems engineer and related positions, and later as data processing manager for Construction Fasteners in Wyomissing. He also worked part time for family businesses in the bustling downtown Reading area, including Enterprise Furniture and Joseph's Men's Store on Penn Street in downtown Reading.

Sy gained prominence in the Reading theater community with his many character roles in productions by Reading Civic Opera Society (now Reading Civic Theater). But the role which brought him the most fame was that of Tevye in RCT's 1972 production of Fiddler On The Roof. A newcomer to the theater group, Sy led an outstanding company in one of RCT's greatest and most legendary productions. Sy's performance was said by many in Reading to be better than that of the actors who tackled the role on Broadway. He reprised the role for RCT 17 years later, as well as for a version of "Fiddler" performed by the Jewish Community Center at its then-location on Hampden Boulevard. He served for many years on the board of directors for RCT.

Sy will be laid to rest at Kesher Zion Cemetery alongside his wife Honey.

Sy is survived by his three sons and two daughters-in-law: Hank, of Reading, Pa.; Mitch and Jamie, of Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Brian and Denise, of Mount Joy, Pa.; his grandsons, Ben, Ryan, and Michael (Juhasz) and his wife, Meghan, and their daughter, Madelyn; and Sy's recent companion, Ethel Engel. Funeral services will be held Monday, November 5th at 9:30 a.m. in Henninger Funeral Home Inc., 229 N. 5th. Street, Reading.