Murray Dollinger, 95, longtime Melville accountant, has died

Murray Dollinger, a World War II veteran and a longtime Melville accountant, died Nov. 3 at the age of 95.

Dollinger built an accounting business with his sons from his home, serving customers for more than 40 years.

He taught the accounting business to son Jay, who would eventually take over the practice, while his other son, Steven, worked in the home office as a personal injury attorney.

“He was a very simple man and a very down to earth man who really didn’t have extravagant tastes and who was married for 60 years,” said Dix Hills resident Jay Dollinger of his father. “My mom was his secretary and she would field phone calls and make appointments. They called him Murray the eraser. He did returns by hand and would redo them if there was not enough of a refund.”

Born in Jersey City, Murray Dollinger grew up in Brooklyn. At 17, he lied about his age to join the U.S. Navy during World War II where he served as a radar operator on the USS Rawlins, a troop transport ship in the Pacific, Jay Dollinger said.

After the war, he went to City College of New York on the GI Bill, where he received a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

He worked as an auditor for the Department of Defense and had a top-secret clearance, his son said.

Murray Dollinger also worked as a controller for Mitsubishi and the Milton Paper Company.

He did tax returns for clients of his accounting practice, either at their homes or his home office in Rosedale and later in Melville.

After the family moved to Melville in 1972, Dollinger continued his accounting and tax preparation business until he was 92.

“He had clients since World War II for 60 years. He really worked hard to be a really good provider after he got out of the Navy,” said son Steven Dollinger of Hauppauge. “My whole memory of my childhood is people coming in the basement with taxes.”

Jay Dollinger eventually took over his father's accounting practice and Steve Dollinger moved on to his own law office.

As a child of the Great Depression, Murray Dollinger always watched his money, his family said. He loved his wife and children and was a master communicator, said his daughter, Lisa Antos of Smithtown

“He was an amazing father. He would drop everything for me at the drop of a dime and open communication between myself and my two brothers,” Antos said. “He always had stories to tell about the war and my mom. He told corny jokes and now I miss them, of course.”

Along with his three children, Murray Dollinger is survived by 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. His wife, Gloria, died in 2018. 

Dollinger's funeral was held Nov. 4 at Star of David Memorial Chapel in West Babylon with burial at Mount Ararat Cemetery in Lindenhurst.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.