Maurice Schoenbrun

1920 - 2016

Maurice Schoenbrun
Feb. 19, 1920 - Feb. 26, 2016
Salinas
Maurice Schoenbrun died peacefully on Friday, February 26, 2016 just one week following his 96th birthday. Maurice was born Feb. 19, 1920 in New York City, the son of Phillip and Rose, and grew up there, in Cleveland and in Spring Valley, NY with his sisters Pearl and Helen.
Maurice served in the Army Air Corps as a cryptographer during WWII, stationed in India. His exploits there would serve as an endless source of anecdotes throughout his life. After the war he worked as an engineer, owned and operated a kitchen cabinet factory in NY, a cabinet distributorship in Salinas – Mastercraft Kitchen and Bath, and finally became a general contractor building homes throughout Monterey County with his company, TJP Construction.
Maurice married his wife Betty and they enjoyed 51 years together until her death in 1994. They had two daughters, both of whom sadly succumbed to a genetic illness when they were infants. Not to be deprived of the joys of parenthood, they adopted two boys, David and Daniel.
Maurice and Betty moved from their home in Brooklyn to Salinas in 1966, a leap of faith intended to both escape the East Coast and start a new life in a town where Betty's sister and brother-in-law, Shirley and Harold Kafton, had settled several years earlier. They made many great friends in Salinas, especially in the Jewish community of Temple Beth El. They shared wonderful years of family and community celebrations, holidays, vacations and extensive travels to countries on almost every continent. Maurice was a founding and long-time member of the HDOM Tennis Club, with whom he played into his 80's. He also enjoyed writing and performing musical parodies with the "Singing Schlemiels" together with Temple Beth El members Stan Savitz and the late Jerry Pearlman. He co-owned several boats with his brother-in-law, Harold, and spent many weekends fishing in and around Monterey Bay.
After Betty's death, Maurice and Eileen Greenfield found each other, and together enjoyed many more years of shared life, home and travels.
Maurice was a man of many talents and unedited opinions. He channeled much of his creative energy into his writing, mostly poetry, though his inordinant penchant for limericks might disqualify him in many eyes as deserving to be called a poet. Later in life he enjoyed writing regular human interest columns for the Salinas Californian, the Monterey Herald and the Toledo Sun, often using his grandchildren as a fertile source of material. He sought to serve his community, serving as Vice President of the Mid-Coast Health Services Agency and as a member of the Monterey County Grand Jury.
He spent the last several years of his life in San Mateo in order to be closer to his son and daughter-in-law David and Helen. There he cultivated yet another circle of fond admirers among their friends, who were always quick to include him in gatherings.
Maurice loved a good debate, sometimes taking seemingly ridiculous positions just to get the argument rolling. Under that exterior he was a loving, devoted, generous and extremely intelligent and thoughtful person – a champion of political ethics and fair play, an outspoken critic of discrimination and social injustice.
Maurice is survived by his devoted sister, Helen Zelinger of Brooklyn, NY, sons Dan of Monterey and David (Helen) of San Mateo, grandchildren Sarah of Seattle and Rachel of Los Angeles, and Eileen's daughter, Irene Genauer of Salinas. He also leaves loving nieces and nephews, Judy Peiken (Lois) of Seaside, Alan Kafton (Shari) of Santa Rosa, and Carol (Shelley) of Portland, OR.
Visitation will be held from 10:00a.m. to 1:30p.m Wed. March 2, 2016 at Struve and Laporte Chapel, 41 W. San Luis Street, Salinas, CA. 93901.
Funeral Service will be held at 1:30p.m. Wed. March 2, 2016 at Struve and Laporte Chapel, 41 W. San Luis Street, Salinas, CA. 93901.
Burial to follow at Garden of Memories Cemetery, 850 Abbott Street, Salinas, CA. 93901.

Maurice asked that in lieu of flowers, donations to favorite charities be made.


View the online memorial for Maurice Schoenbrun