Fred NIVES

1921 - 2015

NIVES, Fred
Fred Nives, March 4, 2015, 94 years old. Born Vienna Austria in 1921. Fred was a lover of life who lived every day to the fullest. This was not surprising for a man who in 1938, at the age of 17 in order to escape from the Nazis after Kristallnacht, walked from Austria at night hiding in the woods during the day to find refuge in Belgium. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1940, he proudly served in the U.S. Army from 1942-1946 in the European Theater in Paris under General Eisenhower's command. He was reunited with his father Bernhard and brother Ernest at war's end, but his mother Roza perished in Auschwitz. Fred Nives was truly one of a kind. Larger than life, he was an avid sportsman with unstoppable energy. He relished his early ski adventures in Davos and then his chalet in Meribel, France. His love of athletics included tennis, swimming and his treadmill. He was a voracious reader, classical music concertgoer and opera lover, especially Wagner. In his youth, he piloted his plane from Paris all over Europe, and ran his boat along the French Riviera to the Greek Isles. As an accomplished horseman for 50 years, he and his beloved wife Donna rode in Hunter-Pace events. In events where he was not riding, Fred became an official timer at the finish lines. He was also the Treasurer of the Greenwich Riding and Trails Association. He was proud that the GRTA's budget was perfectly balanced while he was the treasurer. His wide circle of friends and family reveled in his contagious enthusiasm, keen intelligence and marvelous sense of humor. He graciously brought everybody together for many holidays and occasions. Always generously entertaining guests with his hilarious jokes, wonderful stories, choice bottles of wines and love of fine foods. He had a strong will, strong opinions and strong mind. A successful entrepreneur with a brilliant and decisive business mind, Mr. Nives started a foreign currency service business in the 1950's and then a consumer finance company which was sold in 1963 to become Sterling Bancorp in New York. An accomplished Wall Street investor with a seat on the NY Stock Exchange until 1969, he was a general partner in investment partnership Apollo Associates until 1974. He left Wall Street to start Omni Financial Corporation, a very successful consumer financial company, in the early 70's. He wanted to help military personnel obtain consumer loans because he remembered how difficult it was for him to obtain a loan to buy his first car after the war. But, the greatest accomplishment of his life was his marriage to his extraordinary and beautiful wife Donna. He met the love of his life at the age of 37 in NY City and they married shortly thereafter. They shared a love of animals, which became a big part of their life together. In addition to their equestrian activities, they founded the 30+ year old Animal Rescue Group "Adopt-A-Dog" located in Greenwich, CT and Armonk, NY. Fred and Donna also generously funded the Bronx Zoo's "Fred and Donna Nives African Wild Dog Pavillion" Their love of animals and each other was apparent to all their friends and family. Mr. Nives also was a longtime Board member of The Center for Hearing and Communication. Member of the Greenwich Riding & Trails Association, The Graduate Club of New Haven, The Stamford Yacht Club, Goldens Bridge Hounds, North Salem, NY and Fairfield County Hounds in Bridgewater, Ct. Mr. Nives is survived by Donna Nives, Julie Nives Schwartzman, Dan and Zoe Schwartzman, Miriam and Marissa Nives, Vivian and Richard Van Buren, Annie, Jimmy, James and Nicholas Angellino. Funeral services will be held Monday, March 9 at 1:30 PM at Temple Sholom, Greenwich Connecticut. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations be made to Adopt A Dog, 849 Lake Avenue, Greenwich, Ct 06831 or Center for Hearing and Communication, 50 Broadway, New York, NY 10004.
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