In Memory of Joel Sobo

Joel N. Sobo of West Orange, New Jersey passed away on January 14, 2026 at the age of 83.

Joel was born in Newark, NJ and raised in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, graduating from Forest Hills High School before attending Cornell University. After graduation, Joel settled in New Jersey and began a career with Prudential Financial, leading multiple functions in New Jersey as well as a cherished stint in Boston (as every out-of-town visitor Joel insisted walk the Freedom Trail can attest).

After his retirement from Prudential, Joel began a second act in the consulting world while expanding his philanthropic activities by serving on the boards of several NJ-based dance companies. His intelligence, warmth, kindness and decency endeared him to everyone fortunate enough to cross paths with him in each chapter of his life, as did his unwavering support for the underdog (even beyond just the Mets, Jets and Cornell football). Joel simply was the epitome of a mensch.

Joel was predeceased by his wife, Carol M. Sobo (née Talanker), his parents, David and Elsa Sobo, and his sister, Ronnie Sobo. The heartbroken family he leaves behind includes his wife Elizabeth Shaff Sobo, children Ethan Sobo (Stacy), Aryn Sobo, David Goldblatt (Emma), Katherine Shaff Chasin (Alex), his brother Simon Sobo (Linda), and 5 grandchildren (Devin, Aidan, Sylvia, Poppy and Jude).

Services will be held on Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel, Livingston, New Jersey, with a burial to follow at New Montefiore Cemetery, West Babylon, Long Island. For anyone wanting to make a donation in Joel's name, you may wish to consider the Parkinson's Foundation or the Carolyn Dorfman The Legacy Project.