April 01, 2016
In September 2015, Susquehanna mourned the loss of longtime friend and adjunct faculty member Michael M. Apfelbaum P’08, who died tragically in a private airplane accident near Greensboro, N.C. His wife, Christina P’08, and her father, Clarence “Mike” Imgrund, also lost their lives in the accident, which occurred while traveling home to central Pennsylvania from Sarasota, Fla.
Born April 29, 1960 to Sidney and Carole (Hertz) Apfelbaum, of neighboring Sunbury, Pa., Michael was the youngest of four sons. After graduating from Shikellamy High School in 1978, he attended The George Washington University where he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society and graduated with distinction and special honors in 1982. Michael then attended Dickinson School of Law, where he was awarded the Order of the Barristers Honor for Trial Advocacy. Upon passing the bar exam, Michael returned home to join the family law firm of Apfelbaum, Apfelbaum & Apfelbaum.
He married Christina, or Christy as she was known, on Jan. 26, 1992. Christy worked locally as a dental hygienist for 15 years before starting her own business. She started out performing electrolysis and eventually grew her business into Advanced Skin Care Associates Medi-Spa, and later the Center for Permanent Cosmetics in nearby Lewisburg, Pa. She was remembered in her obituary (The Daily Item, Sept. 12, 2015) as someone who mentored many women in building successful careers of their own.
Michael was the solicitor for the City of Sunbury, Northumberland County Airport Authority, Penn Valley Airport Authority and Shikellamy School District. Additionally, he served on the board of counselors for Dickinson Law School, the board of trustees for Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pa., and the board of Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg.
Michael was passionate about supporting the local community through service and charitable initiatives. As a co-trustee of The Degenstein Foundation, Michael worked with his father and brother Jeffrey to carry on the philanthropic works of Sidney’s friend, the late Charles Degenstein.
The Apfelbaums have been longtime friends and benefactors of Susquehanna, where Sidney served on the Board of Trustees, and Michael was a member of the Sigmund Weis School of Business Advisory Council and an adjunct faculty member. Their work on the foundation has contributed to Susquehanna receiving nearly $25 million in grants through the years. These grants have supported numerous capital improvement projects, including the Cunningham Center for Music and Art, and other initiatives such as the Arlin M. Adams Center for Law and Society and the SU4U scholarship program, which has made a Susquehanna education possible for hundreds of students from the region.
In addition to his parents, their siblings and a large extended family, Michael and Christy are survived by three adult children, Leah Apfelbaum ’08, of Baltimore; and Brianna Apfelbaum Kula and Jon Sidney W. Apfelbaum, both of Lewisburg.