| Esther is Free She's laughing in the clouds Esther Lubar Kayman Aronin, 88, Uniform Pioneer Esther Lubar Kayman Aronin, 88, of Coconut Creek, Florida, passed away August 22, 2002, at her residence with her family at her side. The sixth of nine children, Esther was born in Cottage Grove in 1913 and grew up on a farm west of Milwaukee. At age 16 she and four sisters and seven other women shared a two-bedroom apartment in Milwaukee. She married Bernhard (“Bernie”) S. Kayman, a pharmacist, in 1935. Their first apartment was above a bar at the corner of Port Washington Road and Green Bay Avenue. Esther and her husband Bernie each opened competing clothing stores on Wells Street in the 1950’s. They eventually built a house in Shorewood on 1324 E. Kensington Blvd. and later built their second home at 8620 N. Regent Road in Foxpoint. Esther was a pioneer in the retail clothing industry. Owner of Gloria Kay Uniforms, she revolutionized the uniform industry with her introduction of colored uniforms and trendy styles. Beginning with a small store on 27th and Wells, the business grew to four locations in Milwaukee with branches in Appleton and Madison. Her business specialized in working closely with manufacturers to supply hundreds of businesses in the 1960s and ‘70s with innovative designs. Her first husband Bernie died in 1970. She married Aaron Aronin in 1972 and they retired to Broward County in 1984 where she pursued stained glass sculpture. She enjoyed traveling to interesting countries and to her beloved Wisconsin during the summer. She is survived by her husband Aaron, sisters Sara Naimon and Dorothy Rapkin, daughters Lynne Kayman (Phoenix, Arizona) and Janus McCrea(Fort Lauderdale), three grandsons (Jeff, Scott and Brett) and two great-grandsons (Micah and Jacob). Esther and Aaron permanently moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 1978. Her family will always remember her for her love of new adventures and travel. She had a talent for stained glass creations and ethnic cooking. Neighbors were known to stop over to ask for a slice of apple pie or mandelbrot. Note: Gloria Kay Uniforms was taken over and expanded by Mrs. Aronin’s former store manager, Leo Weinschel, and is still headquartered in Milwaukee. He can be reached at 1-800-242-9454. |
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