NEW YORK — Barry Gersten, a textiles executive, died of a stroke Tuesday at Manhattan’s Mount Sinai Medical Center, said his wife, Carole. He was 60.
Since 1984, Gersten had been a partner in Sykel Enterprises, a New York fabric importer, said Sy Garfinkel, his partner. He previously owned Centennial Fabrics, a converter, for about two decades.
Gersten was named the man of the year in 1988 by the American Committee for the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem in honor of his charitable activities. In 1986, the former Fabric Salesmen Association named him salesman of the year.
Garfinkel described him as “not a big talker, but people knew to ask him for advice…he did help put a lot of people together.’’
In addition to his wife, Gersten is survived by a brother, David; a sister, Janice; a son, Jeffrey; a daughter, Debbie Hartstein, and a granddaughter, Sari.