At the funeral for Max Gass, his son Paul delivered a eulogy that best conveys the essence of the man:

“Shortly after he celebrated his fiftieth wedding anniversary and seventy-eighth birthday with his friends and family, my father and mother traveled to Israel. There on February 4, 1987, my father passed away.

“All his life, three times a day, my father faced east to Jerusalem to pray. Last week his soul passed on at the source of his prayers. He couldn’t have been any happier than he was in Israel with my mother, whom he loved with all his heart and soul. He worked up to the day before he departed for Israel. There was no illness. There was no pain. When his time came, G-d truly blessed him.

“My father tried his whole life to be a good person. He was a man of conviction, proud of being Jewish, religious and observant, respectful and dedicated to his faith. He was pure of heart and held the highest moral and ethical standards; his values were simple values of Good versus Evil—no half truths or white lies. A scholar, always learning and relearning, he was a writer, philosopher and poet. My father was honest and sincere, gentle and humble. He could not hurt a living thing—not a bug, a branch, a flower, anything.

“He loved his family and religion with a passion, was devoted to his mother, father, and sisters, cherished all of his nieces and nephews, and was extremely proud of his grand-children, Lisa and Leslie. His love for my mother was total.

“His ‘declining years’ were some of his best. Comfortable with himself, with business and religion not in conflict, he was at ease having lunch in the office or at a company party wearing a yarmulke. He seemed to enjoy the younger generation—people in their twenties at the office—even better than those in their sixties, seventies, and eighties at a synagogue, and was able to communicate with everyone on a wide range of subjects. When he arrived at work everyone talked a little louder so he could hear. He had a dry sense of humor and loved to make puns and plays on words.

“At the office when he was concerned about a pension or profit-sharing plan investment, he would demand attention; however, when he fell down the office stairs he wanted no attention for fear the company would get bad publicity.

“He was able to be religious, communicate with all generations, be productive and helpful, and not compromise his values. He lived his last years as he wanted to live them.

"On his desk there was a quotation—one of many quotations: Learn from life and correct your mistakes in living. I believe he worked very hard to do that.

“We all had good feelings for my father. He really succeeded in being a good man. He really succeeded in being a beautiful man. He said at his seventy-eighth birthday party a few short weeks ago: You cannot keep the candles burning forever. Do as much good as you can to keep the light burning. The world truly needs more light”.
 

Perhaps Adele Gass's sister Betty Berkowitz encapsulated Max’s life the best:

“I remember Max Gass as somebody you could sit and talk with for hours, somebody who cared about humanity. He was highly educated, very well spoken. To me he seemed a fountain of knowledge. If it were up to him everybody in the world would have been good, people would do the right thing.”

In the wake of Max’s passing, Paul began the Gass Family History project as a means of honoring the memory of his father.
 

Click here to learn more about the Gass Family History Project.

  
[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]