Dr. Leonard Marvin Silverman

January 4, 1931 – May 27, 2026

Leonard Marvin Silverman, 95, passed away peacefully on the 27th of May, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was born on January 4th,1931 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Martha Boderman Silverman and Jack Silverman.

Leonard (known by family and friends as “Len” or “Lenny”) was raised in Brooklyn, but during his childhood traveled yearly with his family to Miami Beach, where they lived during the winters.

He received his early education at a small private school in Miami Beach, where he and his sister Ellie and cousin Marty Smith would sit at a picnic table near the ocean for their morning lessons, followed by afternoons playing at the beach. When he was in New York, Len attended the prestigious Stuyvesant School in lower Manhatten.

He skipped several grades and was accepted at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia at age 16. While at William & Mary, Len was awarded the prestigious Botetourt Medal, the country’s first minted academic prize, established in 1770. Len graduated Valedictorian of William & Mary, and was accepted to the Yale School of Medicine at age 19.

While on a break from med school, Len attended a party in Miami Beach, where he met the love of his life, Gail Linn. At the time, Len was 21 and Gail was 17. They have never been apart since.

Gail was also on a fast track and graduated early from the University of Miami. She knew after their first date that Lenny was her perfect match. He promised to never hold her back. He was true to that vow until the end.

They married in April of 1955, with Len beginning his internship in internal medicine at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. They had their first child, Nancy, in 1957.

Very shortly thereafter, Len was drafted to Germany, where Len served the country for two years as a doctor at the U.S. Army’s Würzburg installation in Germany. The young couple, with an infant, lived off the base in a town where no one spoke English. It was an adventure to say the least.

Dr. Silverman enjoyed a forty-year career as an internist and cardiologist. He was widely known and well regarded in the then “small town” of Miami Beach as a top-notch and caring physician. Beyond his own thriving medical practice (Associates of Medicine on 41st street in Miami Beach), Len was very involved in the two hospitals he was affiliated with, Mt. Sinai and the Miami Heart Institute, both in Miami Beach. He served on the boards of both hospitals and was vice-president at MHI. At one time, Len was in partnership with a group of doctors to build a new hospital, near the Venetian causeway. The hospital was not built but the partners, in a very generous spirit, donated the land on West Avenue to the city, to become the beautiful Island View public park.

Len and Gail had two more children, Jeff and Linda, and he was very dedicated to his family. While he worked long hours, he always made time to travel as a family, have dinner at the family table, and encourage his children to be independent and to pursue their passions. When Gail obtained her doctorate and opened a psychology practice, Len was her biggest cheerleader.

Over the years, Gail and Len traveled extensively, all over the world. They were among the first Americans to visit China after the death of Mao. They visited Russia and the Soviet bloc countries before the fall of the Soviet Union. They had adventures all over six continents from Paris to remote villages in New Guinea. Len had an incredible eye and was a gifted photographer, creating a thorough catalogue of an amazing lifetime of travel and experiences.

Len was also an avid fisherman. The Silvermans had a home on Islamorada in the Florida Keys, which they enjoyed during the years before they retired. The family tells stories of how, before dinner, Len would don his fins and mask and dive into the water near their home with a net and ticklestick to procure a meal of fresh Florida lobster. Their boat was the JELINA, named for the three children.

Post retirement beginning in 1995, he and Gail split their years between their homes in Miami Beach on Belle Isle and in the Berkshires town of Lenox, Massachusetts. Between those two home bases they had temperate climate year-round and a schedule rich with culture and the arts. Their beloved Lenox home gave them decades of music from Tanglewood; theater from Williams College, the Berkshire Theater and Shakespeare & Company; lectures at the Mount; dance from Jacob’s Pillow; and art at the Clarke, Mass Moca, the Norman Rockwell Museum and others. They had many friendships in Lenox, a number of them also from south Florida.

In their last season, Gail and Len moved to Atlanta where they settled near their son Jeff and his family in the Lenbrook retirement community. They established many new friendships there and stayed active and busy, enjoying their vibrant neighbors and newfound status as “southerners”.

Len and Gail were generous to causes they cared about. They endowed a scholarship for Yale medical students. They supported the arts in many forms throughout their lives.

Len is survived by his wife Gail Linn Silverman of Atlanta, Georgia; daughter Nancy Blechman (Billy) of Miami Beach, Florida; son Jeff Silverman (Ashley) of Atlanta, Georgia; and daughter Linda Silverman (Dan Snow) of Potomac, Maryland; six grandchildren: Melissa Blechman of Miami Beach, Florida; David Blechman (Abby) of Nashville, Tennessee; Craig (“CJ”) Snow of Seattle, Washington; Lauren Snow of Boston, Massachusetts; Campbell Patterson (Sara) of Boston, Massachusetts; and Libby Patterson Hertel (Ben) of Boone, North Carolina; and two great-grandchildren: Riley Blechman and Matthew Blechman of Nashville, Tennessee.

He is pre-deceased by his sister Ellie Silverman Ager and brother-in-law Ronnie Ager of Miami Beach, Florida.

He is also survived by his niece Kathie Ager Einstein (Ben) of Golden Beach, Florida; niece Mona Ager Fisher (Alan) of Boca Raton, Florida; and nephew John Ager (Isabelle) of Boca Raton, Florida. As well as numerous beloved nieces, nephews and cousins whom he remained close to for his entire life.

It is impossible to sum up a man in two pages. But as an attempt, let it be known that Leonard Marvin Silverman was a brilliant and successful contributor to the world. More importantly, he was an honest, kind, quietly humble and selfless human being, decent to the core. His beloved wife and family will remember him as a loving and attentive husband, father and grandfather who lived by example and showed them how to enjoy life, love and cherish your people, walk the Golden Rule, and give your best effort to the greater good. He will be greatly missed.

A small, private funeral service was held on Sunday, May 31st at Mt. Nebo Memorial Gardens in Miami. The family is grateful to the loving community and care team at Lenbrook.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Dr. Leonard M. Silverman's name to the American Heart Association.