Irwin Howard (the “Pearl”) Kabakoff, 76, of Hamden, CT,  formerly of West Haven, died March 10. He was the husband of 53 years of Debbie Bloom Kabakoff, whom he met on a blind date while they both attended Bryant College in Providence, RI. Born in New Haven, CT, he was the son of Samuel and Lena Kabakoff. He graduated from Hillhouse High School in 1965, and received his Bachelor of Science degree from Bryant College in 1969. He worked at Rudnick & Sons in North Haven as a retail buyer then switched over to become a manufacturer’s representative for Stabile & Associates, after the retail market softened in the early 90’s and he would have been forced to relocate. In recent years he worked for the Executive Auto Group, starting as a salesperson and working his way through a number of other positions during his over 20-year tenure with the company. He loved quality time with his family and friends. He loved playing sports with his friends – softball in many leagues, basketball at the JCC, and tennis at the Colony Beach and Tennis Club. He treasured his convertible rides with Debbie on vacation, vacationing in Maine with friends, his longstanding card game, coaching youth sports and playing in a golf league with his buddies at Laurel View Country Club. Nothing made Irwin happier than talking sports with his grandchildren (or anyone that would listen) and attending all of his grandchildren’s events. He devoured the sports section of the New York Post every day for more than 50 years. Although the Giants were his team, he attended a Philadelphia Eagles Training session with one of the grandkids – which he jokingly complained about the entire time. He was a self-proclaimed master of humor, insisting that his boys inherited his sense of humor. If you were part of his team, he’d be by your side whenever you needed him. He had a gift of making everyone feel like family. He constantly made it a point to check in on people and was always a source of positivity. His friends describe Irwin as kind, loving, caring, loyal, warm and wonderful. In addition to his wife Debbie (Bloom), he is served by his sons ,Seth Kabakoff and his wife Mitra, and Randy Kabakoff and his wife Jennifer; his grandchildren, Eli, Lucy, Noah, Tali, Lily and Leo; his brothers, Bruce (Rhona) and Myron (Karen); and several nieces and nephews.