George Gershman

WORCESTER — George Gershman, 100, died Sunday, July 20, 2008, at the Jewish Healthcare Center, of congestive heart failure. His wife, Leah (Hodes) Gershman, died in 1993.

He leaves two daughters, Lois Gutman and her husband, Michael, of Mashpee, and Deborah Teicher and her partner, Robert O'Connor, of Fitchburg; a brother, Abraham Gershman, of Providence; two sisters-in-law, Ruth (Davis) Gershman of Warwick and Eleanor (Klein) Gershman of San Francisco, Calif.; six grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by three brothers, Harry, Paul and Edward Gershman, and two sisters, Anna Gerson and Edith Matusow.

He was born in Odessa, Russia, a son of Isadore and Jennie Gershman. He immigrated to Providence, R.I., with his parents and six of his seven siblings in 1923. He lived in Rutland for almost 30 years and in Worcester for most of his life.

He worked for Young Brothers Mattress Company in Providence when he first came to this country, and then with one of his brothers, worked for a few years at Simmons Mattress Company in Elizabeth, N.J. He then moved to Worcester, where he founded Hygienic Mattress Company.

During World War II, because he was too old to serve, he learned to pilot an airplane and was part of the Civil Air Patrol in the Worcester area. Flying became a hobby for him for many years. He also owned property on Jackson Street and part of the American Steel and Wire building on Grove Street. In that building, since he was mechanically talented, he founded a machine tool shop, where he invented, patented and went on to manufacture micrometers that measured tapers.

Just before the State of Israel was recognized by the United States, he headed a group of Worcester Jewish businessmen who smuggled weapons in mattresses to the fledgling state. He was very proud of this accomplishment, and when Israel started to issue postage stamps, he became an avid collector of those stamps, depositing the sales of his micrometer with the Israel Postal Service and receiving a sheet of each new issue.

As an inveterate hobbyist, he was a stamp collector, watch repairman, amateur radio operator, beekeeper, dowser and in later years, a violin restorer and the manufacturer of George Gershman's Health Food Drink, an apple cider vinegar and honey recipe.

On the occasion of his 100th birthday, the men's club at the Jewish Community Center in Worcester and the Rutland Council on Aging honored him with parties. His family wishes to thank Linda Carino, Khazali Allen and the staff of the Jewish Healthcare Center for their dedicated care, as well as the many friends who visited him and made his last days easier. He was a member of Shaarai Torah West Synagogue.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. today, Tuesday, in the Perlman Funeral Home, 1026 Main St., in Worcester. Burial will be in Lincoln Park Cemetery in Warwick, R.I.

A memorial observance will be announced. Memorial contributions may be made to Cape Cod Synagogue, 145 Winter St., Hyannis, MA 02601, the Jewish Healthcare Center, 629 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01609, or to a charity of one's choice.