Steve Ravitz, retired president of Ravitz Family Markets, died on April 8 from complications of COVID-19. The Ravitz family owns five ShopRites and one Price Rite in the Cherry Hill-Camden area of South Jersey. Steve’s son Jason announced his father’s death on his Facebook page. He was 73 years old.
“We are deeply saddened by the death of our beloved father and friend Steve Ravitz, the patriarch who guided our family business, Ravitz Family Markets, for 40 years before retiring in 2019. Steve died on Tuesday night at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia from complications due to the coronavirus. Upon his retirement, Steve passed the leadership of the family company to his sons Jason, Shawn and Brett. Steve served on the board of directors of Wakefern Food Corp. for 27 years before retiring in 2015.”
Steve Ravitz represented his family’s third generation of grocers, following in the footsteps of his grandfather Dave and his father Stanley, who opened his first store in 1950 on Broad and Susquehanna Streets in North Philadelphia. In 1968, Stanley Ravitz opened his first supermarket in Cherry Hill, NJ and his son Steve joined him while attending Saint Joseph’s University, working side by side with his father and brother Ron.
In 1984, the company became a member of Wakefern Food Corp. Steve Ravitz managed the transition of five Shop ‘N Bag stores to ShopRite locations and led the development of the “Kosher Experience,” something of which he was very proud.
Steve Ravitz was a renowned business leader in the South Jersey community. He served as both president and chairman emeritus of the Ravitz Family Foundation, a private non-profit that was founded in 1996 by his parents Doris and Stanley as their way to give back to the community. The organization grew under Steve’s direction, with the foundation making grants over the years to more than 250 charities and community-based organizations in South Jersey, according to the foundation’s website.
Steve Ravitz was also a longtime supporter of many other organizations including JDRF of SNJ, Boys and Girls Club, and Jefferson University Hospital, where he served on the board of directors. He was also past president of Temple Beth Sholom and Crescent Memorial Cemetery.
Camden County Freeholder Jeffrey Nash released a statement on behalf of the board of Freeholders regarding the passing of Steve Ravitz: “This morning we received the crushing news that one of our county’s most notable boosters and business owners succumbed to the novel coronavirus. This was a gut punch for me, our board and the county because Steve and the Ravitz family were always there to help residents in the most need and were always willing to provide to the underserved.
“In fact, as the coronavirus pandemic was ramping up a month ago, Steve and his family didn’t think twice about providing the county with $10,000 to feed seniors and anyone who was at risk of going hungry in these historic times. We will miss his willingness to serve our region from his position with Temple Beth Sholom to his support of the arts in Cherry Hill. He was a good man who always saw the best in society.
“Steve was the cornerstone of our community, volunteering on several nonprofit boards and someone you could always count on, we will miss his smile, levity and intelligence, and we will miss his constant presence in Camden County. As we come to terms with his passing, we will keep Steve’s children, grandchildren and extended family in our thoughts and prayers.”
Steve Ravitz is survived by sons Shawn, Jason and Brett (who represent the fourth generation of family leadership) as well as David; his daughter Remy Strause; daughters-in-law Debbie Ravitz and Lauren Ravitz; son-in-law Brett Strause; brother Ron Ravitz; and eight grandchildren.
The family asks for privacy during this trying time.