News

By Ron Hayes

    BOCA RATON — Try to imagine Boca Raton without any jewelry stores.
    First, you would have to imagine Boca Raton without Joseph Altier.
Today, the city is home to at least 12 prominent jewelers, but when Altier Jewelers opened in 1960, it was the first.   
    Mr. Altier died on July 15 with Marjorie, his wife of 58 years, by his side. He was 88.
    “My grandfather was the kindest person I’ve ever known,” recalls his grandson, Cutler Altier. “He was known for giving away bottles of wine. He would just carry all this wine around in his car, and if he got into a conversation with anyone, he’d say, ‘Here, I’ve got something for you,’ and hand them a bottle. He would carry shoes in his car and give them to the homeless. Clothes. Money. He was a one-of-a-kind guy.”
    Was Mr. Altier a wine connoisseur?
    “No, he just liked to give it away,” his grandson laughed. “He liked his beer. Beer and a handful of peanuts.”
    Joseph R. Altier was born on Dec. 16, 1923, in Scranton, Pa., the youngest of 13 children, and educated in its public schools.
    A tank driver with the U.S. Army during World War II, he served in both North Africa and Europe.
    After the war, a vocational guidance counselor suggested he would be a good watchmaker. Mr. Altier opened a small watch shop, which he developed into Altier Jewelers in Scranton, where it is still owned and operated by nieces and nephews.
    The Altiers vacationed in Fort Lauderdale, where friends told him, “There’s a little town just north of us with no jewelry store,” his grandson said.
    Altier Jewelers has been a fixture in Boca Raton ever since.
    In later years, it was operated by Mr. Altier’s son, William, who died in 1993. His grandson now runs the business at 701 S. Federal Highway.
    In addition to his wife and grandson, Mr. Altier is survived by two sons, Joseph Jr. of Delray Beach, and Alex of Coral Springs; seven other grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
    A funeral Mass was held July 20 at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, followed by interment at Boca Raton Mausoleum.
    Donations in Mr. Altier’s memory may be made to the George Snow Scholarship Fund, 1860 N. Dixie Highway,  Boca Raton, FL 33432, or to the Louis and Anne Green Memory & Wellness Center at Florida Atlantic University.