Isser Gottlieb

Isser 'Sweet Roll' Gottlieb, 74, of Savannah, Georgia, died Tuesday afternoon, December 25, 2012, at Hospice Savannah.



Isser\'s childhood and life-long career revolved around Gottlieb\'s Bakery'a 'sweet tradition' and famed Savannah institution. Gottlieb\'s Bakery began more than 120 years ago, in a basement space at the corner of York and Jefferson Streets. Isser\'s grandfather, Isadore Gottlieb, immigrated from Russia and opened the original space in 1884. The business occupied different downtown locations throughout its span, settling at its most notable location'32nd & Bull Streets'after Hermes Bakery closed in 1928. As business expanded into wholesale orders for local grocers, the bakery grew to occupy three additional houses on the block. Gottlieb\'s Bakery opened stores in the Oglethorpe mall in 1971, on Hilton Head Island in 1977, and at the Savannah Mall in 1982. Unable to compete with the mainstream grocery/ bakery/ deli corporations, the bakery closed in October of 1994. To continue the tradition, Isser co-wrote Gottlieb\'s Bakery: 100 Years of Recipes, chronicling his family\'s history alongside their famed recipes. Isser graduated Benedictine High School and Tulane College in New Orleans. He ran Gottlieb\'s Bakery for over a half a century. He was an active member of the Retail Bakers Association.



Surviving are his wife, Ava; their three children, Richard, Laurence and Michael, and his sister, Arlene Jaffie.



The funeral service will be held at 2 o'clock Wednesday afternoon at the graveside, Bonaventure Cemetery, conducted by Rabbi Avigdor Slatus.



Remembrances: Congregation Bnai Brith Jacob ' 5444 Abercorn Street, Savannah, Georgia 31405.