Stephen Emanuel Braude of Boston and Edgartown died Thursday in Palm Beach, Fla. with his wife Leigh and his four children at his side.

Born in 1923 to Sophia and Ephraim Braude, he was raised in Paris, France. He was schooled in England until 1940, when he and his family left France for the United States to escape from the oncoming German occupation.

Upon arrival, Stephen joined the U.S. Army and served overseas as a captain in Army counter-intelligence, attached to the 31st, 29th Infantry. He served his country with valor: landing on Omaha Beach on D-Day, uncovering a plot to assassinate Charles DeGaulle and participating in the liberation of Auschwitz and other camps while collecting evidence to be used for the prosecution of Nazi criminals.

Following the war, Stephen was graduated from Columbia University in New York while working with his father at Ephraim Braude Leather.

Upon his father's death in 1952, he became president. In 1954, Stephen moved the business to the Boston area as Braude Brothers Tanning Corp.

Stephen was an innovator in the field and was best known for his creation of Tortoise Shell Patent Leather. This became a fashion rage in the 1960s and was a staple item for rock stars and fashionable people. The business successfully supplied the shoe, handbag and belt business in the United States and Europe for more than 30 years, at which time Stephen retired and dedicated his time to philanthropic endeavors.

He served as a trustee for the Bank of Boston Celebrity Series, WorldBoston, the World Affairs Council and as member of the Deans' Council of the Kennedy School Of Government. He was a former trustee and donor of Emerson Hospital in Concord. He supported the arts as a benefactor of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and was a generous donor to WGBH. He also donated to numerous charities throughout the country.

Steve (as his friends called him) was always known to family and friends alike as "the perfect gentleman." Through active membership in the above organizations and his extensive travels, he kept fully abreast of current events. Steve devoured daily newspapers and topical books with the appetite of a scholar. He was never lacking in opinion or cogent evaluation of world leaders.

Most of all, he will be remembered for his devotion to family, his keen sense of humor and the warmth and compassion he always conveyed to his many friends.

Survivors include his wife Leigh; his four children from first wife Bettie Jones: sons Evan and Neal and daughters Nina and Lisa; and six grandchildren: Kyle, Whitney, Gabriella, Taylor, Jake and Brooke.

Services will be held at the Chapman, Cole & Gleason funeral home, Oak Bluffs. Please call 508-693-1495 for funeral arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to one of the following: Hospice of Palm Beach County, hpbc.com/donate; The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, mfa.org; or WGBH, wgbh.org.