Abraham Silverstein, 96, longtime proprietor of Coffee Sam’s Restaurant for more than 40 years, died Tuesday, Jan. 20, in Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas. He was born and raised in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. He opened his first Coffee Sam’s Restaurant in the late 1930s after borrowing $600 to rent a space on Milwaukee and Belmont Avenues, said his son Marshall. By the 1940s, Mr. Silverstein had three restaurants, including one in the Uptown neighborhood. Mr. Silverstein settled in nearby Edgewater in a high-rise that overlooked the beach, and married his wife, the late Rose DeGraff, the day after Christmas in 1944, his son said. Marshall Silverstein said his father ran the restaurant like a 24-hour eatery. He especially enjoyed serving hot salami sandwiches late at night to then aspiring Chicago comedian Danny Thomas, who performed at the 5100 Club. Mr. Silverstein eventually sold the restaurants and moved to a home on Pratt Boulevard and Ashland Avenue before moving to California near his son, though he always remained a Chicagoan at heart, his son said. “He promoted Chicago wherever he went,” his son said. “To him, Chicago could do no wrong.” Mr. Silverstein and his wife later moved to the Las Vegas area near their other son, Erwin. Mr. Silverstein collected more than 100,000 matchbooks in a 30-year span, his son said. Beside his two sons, survivors include two brothers, Sam and Oscar; and two grandchildren. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Westlawn Cemetery, 7801 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago.
