Andrew “Andy” Klein, president and CEO of Klein’s ShopRite, was killed in a multi-vehicle car accident in Harford County, MD on March 11. He was 65 years old.
Klein was the eldest of three sons of Klein’s Family Markets owners Ralph and Shirley Klein of Forest Hill. He grew up in Bel Air, where he attended Harford Day School and was a member and religious school student at Temple Adas Shalom-Harford Jewish Center in Havre de Grace.
Wakefern Food Corp., the cooperative food distributor of which ShopRite is a member, issued a statement saying: “We are shocked and saddened to learn about the tragic accident that took place in Maryland today and claimed two precious lives, including an 8-year-old boy and our own beloved ShopRite family member Andrew Klein, president of Klein’s Family Markets. Our hearts grieve with both families.”
The Kleins’ family business had its beginnings in a small general store in Fallston established in 1925 by Ralph Klein’s parents, Maurice and Sara Klein. Ralph Klein and his brother, Michael, ran the store with their parents until they retired. In 2009, Klein’s Family Markets became part of ShopRite. The Klein family now owns nine ShopRite stores — seven in Harford, one in Baltimore County and one in Baltimore City.
Klein was known for his philanthropy. He served as national treasurer of the Jewish National Fund, was a strong supporter of Temple Adas Shalom-Harford Jewish Center in Havre de Grace and a generous donor to the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air. He also started the Holocaust education and commemoration program at the John Carroll School in Bel Air.
Klein is survived by his wife, Jayne Klein (nee Zion); his son, Marshall (Rachel) Klein, his daughters, Sarah Klein, and Rachel Klein; his brother, Michael (Clara) Klein and Howard (Susan) Klein; granddaughter, Sasha Ruth Klein; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents.
Donations in Klein’s memory can be made to the Jewish National Fund, 78 Randall Avenue, Rockville Centre, NY 11570 or the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health Foundation Inc., 520 Upper Chesapeake Drive, Suite 405 Bel Air, MD 21014-4324.
