NYSSCPA Member Gail Winawer Dies
Manhattan/Bronx Chapter Member Fondly Remembered

Gail T. Winawer, born Oct. 18, 1939, died of liver failure at her home on Jan. 15, after battling cancer.

Winawer, a member of the New York State Society of CPAs since 1976 and an enthusiastic member of the Manhattan/Bronx Chapter, was very active in a number of committees. She served on the board of directors from 1988 to 1991 and served on committees ranging from Furtherance and Estate Planning to Domestic Relations, in addition to a number of taxation committees. She also served as chair for the Taxation of Financial Institutions and Products Committee and the Taxation of Individuals Committee.

Winawer was greatly loved during her career in public accounting and taxation.

“Gail was extremely professional and an extremely good friend to me over a long period of time,” said Janice Johnson, friend and colleague. “I met her in 1981. She was somebody who had to fight her way into the profession. She was put into tax because no one would allow her to audit at that time. She became an excellent professional in trusts and estates as well as taxation of financial services.”

Winawer’s kindness to her clients and colleagues was steadfast.

“Gail’s colleagues at Goldstein Golub Kessler LLP and American Express will remember her for her unfailing friendship and devotion to our profession and to our clients,” said Winawer’s New York Times death notice from the two firms. “She always took the time to ask about us and always listened and cared about us. Even as she continued to fight her illness, she was a role model for younger professionals, whom she trained and developed.”

Johnson and Winawer gave many speeches together for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants at an annual conference that took place in Las Vegas.

“Gail adored Las Vegas, she always wanted to spend some time in the casinos when we were there,” Johnson said. “She liked the slot machines.”

In her spare time, Winawer also enjoyed hobbies such as knitting.

“She was a prolific knitter—she did amazing things,” Johnson said.

Stuart Kessler, former NYSSCPA president and Winawer’s colleague, said that Winawer was a “consummate professional and a grand lady.”

“She was a wonderful person,” Kessler said. “Clients loved her. She was always available for them, even in her last months. Even when we knew how ill she was, she was very upbeat and said she was going to be okay.”

Winawer is preceded in death by her husband Joel.

“She had some very tragic events in her life and she dealt with them extremely gracefully,” Johnson said. “Her husband was killed in a car crash. They were truly committed to each other—he built her a gorgeous above-ground pool one year for her birthday, and she gave him a Jaguar. They were very devoted to each other, and it was a very sad event when that happened.”
Johnson said Winawer had been battling cancer since 2001.

“She did it extremely privately and courageously,” Johnson said. “She was very optimistic that she would beat it.”

Winawer is survived by her sons, Stephen and Robert, three grandchildren and her sister, Leslie Triffleman.