By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER EAST SIDE — An hour before a gunman shot him to death Wednesday at the Madison Avenue jewelry store where he worked, Henry Menahem joked about the long faces of the staff at the diner next door.
"Why do you look so upset?" Menahem asked, according to Noufri Argiros, manager at Three Guys Restaurant.
"Life is beautiful."
Menahem, 71, was shot and killed when he didn't immediately turn over jewelry to an armed robber at R.S. Durant, located between 75th and 76th streets.
The killer refused pleas from Menahem's co-worker to call 911, the New York Times reported. After the shooting, the gunman ran away with $1 million worth of diamonds and other gems, according to the New York Post.
As the NYPD passed out Wanted posters for the gunman Thursday, the owners of R.S. Durant met with police.
A man who identified himself as Max said he co-owned the store with his stepfather and that Menahem was a family friend.
"He was a great person," Max said. "He appreciated every day that he had, he was a cancer survivor."
Menahem had worked at the store since April and "never bothered anyone", according to Max.
Like many of the exclusive stores on the street, R.S. Durant had a doorbell for customers to buzz in on the right hand side of the door.
On Thursday, a sign hung in an empty window display. It said: "Liquidation Sale: Clearing out Inventory. 50% off all Jewelry."
Traces of police powder remained on the front door and yellow crime scene tape formed a barrier around the store.
Menahem befriended the staff at Three Guys Restaurant where he grabbed a coffee and bagel every morning, Argiros said.
A family man, he frequently brought his young granddaughter to lunch at the restaurant when he was on breaks.
Menahem, of Long Branch, N.J., was funny and always joking, Argiros said.
"It's desperate people in desperate times and a poor old man had to pay the price," he said.
The killer, who remained at large Thursday, was described by police as a black man in his early 30s last seen wearing grey slacks, blue wool coat and black leather gloves.
Menahem's funeral will take place tomorrow, according to a man who identified himself as R.S. Durant's supplier.
