Dori Beckhard

Dori Beckhard, 91, of Locust Valley, NY and most recently Floral Park, NY, died after a brief illness on October 13, 2025, having charmed the hospice nurses at Calvary Hospital with her grace and kindness as she did every other person lucky enough to have known her.

Born in Stuttgart, Germany on March 30, 1934, Dori and her family emigrated to Palestine in 1936, and then to New York in 1947, where she added flawless English to the German and Hebrew she already spoke. As a French major at Queens College, Dori joined a French theater troupe in Manhattan, beginning a life-long love affair with theatrical costume design and, more importantly, with her fellow student John, who was her beloved husband for 66 years. After their marriage in 1955 while John was stationed in France, Dori studied at the Sorbonne, taught herself how to cook, and was renowned throughout her life for her outstanding culinary abilities.

Upon returning to New York, Dori and John both worked at Olivetti, creating together the original Olivetti English-language manual for the first double-computation-capable calculator. In 1970 while raising their three daughters, Dori joined John and her father in the family business, Bach & Company (later Bach Knives), an international supplier of precision industrial cutting tools. Together, they successfully ran the company for 55 years. A rare female executive in a world of male engineers and machine operators, and without any formal training, Dori leveraged her communication skills and gracious confidence to excel. With her ability to "speak" math with these technical experts, she pioneered the creation and use of custom-designed computer programs to eliminate the use of plastic shims in precision metal tooling, and invented the first computerized slitting program in the industry for flat-rolled metals.

An avid world traveler with John and with her children, grandchildren, and other loved ones, Dori possessed an insatiable curiosity and a deep passion for learning, coupled with a remarkable ability to connect with others. She had limitless empathy, generosity, and thoughtfulness towards those she met, starting and maintaining friendships with people around the globe. She delighted in finding the right word and the right gift, and in preparing and presenting culinary treasures for the friends and family she fed with pleasure at her always well-appointed table. Many, many people carry her in their hearts.

Dori was predeceased by John and is survived by her sister Rachel Kaplan, her three daughters Robin Beckhard (Bryan Shelby), Sharon Beckhard (Tom Zimmerman), and Marina Lyn Beckhard (Alan Luberda), her six grandchildren Claire James (Ethan Ravetch), Alex James (Alex Peyser), Ari Gzesh, Benjamin Luberda (Lauren), Joshua Luberda, and Daniel Luberda (Claire van Stolk), and her four great-grandchildren Kermit, Teddy, and Clementine Ravetch, and Naomi Luberda.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Dori's memory may be made to the ACLU, Doctors Without Borders, or Save the Children.

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