Steve Lieberman

slieberm@lohud.com

A former Nyack resident and teacher with a college-age son was brutally killed this week by a roommate at a New York City homeless shelter, where he was staying.

Friends Friday remembered 62-year-old Deven Black for his love of craft beer, as a teacher and librarian, and as a man with an unflagging desire for self-education.

A service will be held 1 p.m. Sunday at Congregation Sons of Israel on North Broadway in Upper Nyack, said Keith Taylor of Hannemann Funeral Home in Nyack. Black will be buried in Temple Israel Memorial Park in Blauvelt.

"Deven always was a self-learner, someone who was very curious about the world and life," said Emily Feiner, a longtime family friend and mental health professional from Nyack. "He was a good, caring man who went out of his way to try and help others. He wanted very much to be a person other people saw as trustworthy and compassionate."

Black, however, began to suffer from mental health issues, leading to problems in his personal and professional life. His friends saw his plummet into living in a homeless center as tragic. They said he remained a loving father to his son, Jonas, and very involved with his wife, Jill Rovitzky, in raising their son.

"This is tragic," friend DeWitt Rulon said. "It’s inexplicable. I understand there were issues we became aware of. It's unfathomable how his life turned out."

Rulon said he would always remember Black as an "engaging gentleman" who loved talking about raising and educating children, as well as talking about sports.

The Rulon and Black families were involved together with Nyack High Schools plays and Arts Angels, a non-profit parent and community organization supporting the arts in Nyack schools and a liaison between ArtWorks, DramaWorks, and MusicWorks.

"We had conversations about children and school system," Rulon said. "Deven was really engaged in improving himself and creating the best environment for kids to learn."

Together with his then-wife, Black also reviewed restaurants for several years as a freelancer for The Journal News.

Black was found stabbed multiple times shortly before midnight Wednesday inside the 101-bed Boulevard Homeless Shelter on Lexington Avenue near 123rd Street in Manhattan's East Harlem. Black had gone Monday to stay at the facility, which houses men with mental health issues.

New York City police on Friday were searching for Black's roommate, 21-year-old Anthony White, who they said had made random threats to kill people during the past week after his phone and its store of music went missing.

Son Jonas Black on his Facebook page used his father's death to advocate for better a mental health care system.

"Although (my father) had struggled with mental illness for many years, he was unable to get the treatment he needed, and he fell through the cracks of a severely broken system," Jonas wrote. "It is hard not to hate the man who took my father away from me, but ultimately I see my father’s killer as another victim. Had there been adequate mental health infrastructure in place, this tragedy would not have happened."

Feiner, who knew the Black family for 23 years, said Deven was a funny man with a dry wit. She recalled how she and Black once were part of a group of Halloween revelers who went to Nyack's annual parade as the pink Clermont condos.

She said Black, who grew up on the Upper West Side, once ran Manhattan's North Star Pub, which was known for its craft beer. After a varied career, Black went back to school to become a teacher and taught special education students. He left the classroom at Castle Hill Middle School in The Bronx to become a librarian, and in 2013 was awarded a Bammy, which recognizes achievements in education.

He also was president of the Parent-Teachers Association at Upper Nyack Elementary School.

Rulon called Black a "soft-spoken gentle giant - about 6-feet-4 inches" tall. Rulon said Black was a baseball fan who had an historical, encyclopedia knowledge of players and their statistics.

"He was a big-time Mets fan and we also attended Boulder games," Rulon said. "He'd get tickets and take us to Mets game. He was a very generous man and a good friend."

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