ALBERT REISS

ALBERT REISS - PALM BEACH, Fla. - After an eleven year battle with prostate cancer, Albert Reiss died on Aug. 5, 2011, at the age of 75. He was truly a mentor to many and a friend to all. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Aug. 29, 1935, he grew up in the New York Metropolitan area and retired in 1988 to Burlington and Palm Beach, Fla. He was predeceased by his parents, Elizabeth Reiss and Arthur Reiss; and his sister, Joan Blecker. Al attended Forest Hills High and Queens College in New York and the Wharton Business School at the U. of Penn. He was the youngest licensed insurance broker (age 19) in the US, having been sponsored by a Canadian brokerage company, and became a leader in the property and casualty industry, having been President of Florsheim Buzzel Company, Chairman & President of Channing Assoc., and Chairman & CEO of Economic Growth Group, all New York City insurance brokerage companies. He was on the Board of Directors of Swedish Hospital, Brooklyn, N.Y., the Boynton Beach Chabad, Fla., founder and director of the Palm Beach Windstorm Trust and an active Board of Director in every community he resided in, bringing his business expertise and incredible common sense to all of them. He was an inspiration to all who knew him with his sharp mind and intuitive ability to find solutions to so many problems. Meticulous in grooming, totally detail oriented; a caring soul and a role model for so many. His interests included sailing, fly and lake fishing, music, travel, ballet, photography and, most importantly to him, the stock market having developed a computer program for tracking investments. Albert is survived by his loving wife, Vivian; daughters, Jodi Strum and husband, Andrew, and Vicki Reiss; his stepdaughters, Natalie Silver and husband, Noah, and Monique Parker and husband, Carlo; eight grandchildren, Adam, David, Lauren, Michael, Michelle, Jason, Benjamin and Damon; and his nieces, Irene Rosenfeld and Linda Bleeker. He fought a valiant battle against prostate cancer, trying every known type of treatment - whether it be radiation, chemotherapy or clinical trials - until the very end. From John's Hopkins, Maryland to Fox Chase Cancer Center, Pennsylvania; from Dana Farber, Massachusetts to MD Anderson, Texas; from Fletcher Allen Medical Center, Vermont to Lynn Cancer Center, Florida; and for most of those years with Dr. Neal Rothschild of the Palm Beach Cancer Center, Florida, he traveled to find the best doctors to find the cure. God Bless Hospice of Palm Beach County in making his last weeks more bearable. We want to thank all the doctors and nurses and aides that have helped us along this horrific journey. Dignity is something many of us strive for and he maintained his until the very end. His life was rich in experiences, honors and most importantly, love. May he rest in peace forever. A memorial service and celebration of his life will be held at Temple L'Dor V'Dor, 7306 Lake Worth Rd., Lake Worth, Fla. at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011. We would appreciate donations be directed to Hospice of Palm Beach County and the Sari Asher Cancer Center in West Palm Beach, Fla.