Brandeis Alumni, Family and Friends

Brandeis Remembers Alumnus Donald Soffer

July 23, 2025

The real estate developer and founder of Aventura, Florida was a generous supporter of the university.

The Brandeis community remembers Donald M. Soffer, BA’54, HHL’23, who died on July 20 in Aventura, FL at the age of 92.

Soffer was the founder of Aventura, the visionary behind some of South Florida's most iconic developments, a philanthropist, and an entrepreneur. 

Born in Duquesne, Pennsylvania, Soffer inherited a tireless work ethic forged in steel towns and family businesses. He attended Brandeis University on a football scholarship, graduating in 1954 with a degree in economics. Although he had the opportunity to pursue a professional football career with the San Francisco 49ers, he chose instead to serve in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division, known today as the “Screaming Eagles.”  

Soffer returned home to work alongside his father and quickly established himself as a visionary young developer who recognized the need for thriving suburban communities to support veterans and their families. Their firm played a pivotal role in shaping Pittsburgh's postwar landscape. 

Soffer then shifted his focus to South Florida, where he vacationed. In the late 1960s, Soffer made the boldest move of his young career, leading the purchase of 785 acres of overlooked swampland north of Miami. Where others saw only marsh, Soffer saw opportunity. He famously sketched his plans for a luxury community on the back of a cocktail napkin. Through Turnberry Associates, the company he founded to realize that vision, Soffer master-planned a city centered around a golf course.

Aventura became a hub for a growing community that evolved to include numerous luxury towers with almost 25,000 residences, private clubs, tennis courts, marinas, and vibrant entertainment and social spaces. By hosting tennis and golf tournaments that attracted numerous celebrities, Soffer generated buzz and built demand for luxury condos in a market many believed couldn't support them.

Soffer lived and breathed the community he created. A passionate outdoorsman who loved fishing, boating, and camping with his children, he wanted everyone who called Aventura home to feel connected to nature, to their neighbors, and to a sense of place. Today, Aventura stands as one of the most desirable and successful communities in South Florida and a lasting reflection of Soffer Soffer's vision, heart, and belief in what a place could become. When the city incorporated in 1995, it proudly adopted the name Soffer had chosen: Aventura.

A generous philanthropist, Soffer supported causes that reflected his values – education, health care, faith, and community. A proud Brandeis alumnus and a member of the Board of Fellows, he was steadfast in his support of students (through scholarships), professors, and state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. Most recently in 2024, he endowed the Soffer Associate Professorship of Engineering Science, a key component of launching a unique new undergraduate engineering program. Several campus spaces, including the Donald Soffer ’54 Atrium in the Shapiro Science Center, the Donald Soffer Academic Court at the business school, and the Soffer Men’s Locker Room at the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center, are named in his honor. He was also a major supporter of the University of Miami and Mount Sinai Medical Center. 

Brandeis gave Soffer an honorary doctorate in 2023, the Alumni Achievement Award in 2019, and inducted him into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2024, Soffer received the Simon Wiesenthal Center Humanitarian Award. 

Soffer's laughter, sharp wit, and distinctive style were as renowned as his business achievements. He had a gift for making everyone feel valued, especially his family, whom he considered his greatest achievement. 

Soffer is survived by his wife, Michele King Soffer; sister, Rita; children, Marsha, Jackie, Jeffrey P ‘01, Brooke, Rock, and Abigail; grandchildren, Izak, Max, Lauren, Harrison, Madison, Benjamin, Summer, Jacob, Logan, Katie, Oliver, April, and Charlotte; and great-granddaughter, Maya. He was predeceased by his daughter Jill. 

Donald Soffer built more than landmark destinations during his lifetime; he built a legacy defined by vision, generosity, and impact. He will be forever remembered by the communities he created, the lives he touched, and his family.