Julius Mansbach

1913 - 2015

Julius Mansbach

September 13, 1913 - December 27, 2015

Julius Mansbach passed away peacefully on December 27, 2015 in San Francisco. He was 102 years old. He was alert and active until nearly the end, having played chess just three days prior at the family home in the Laurel Heights neighborhood.

Married for 63 years to Ruth, he is the father of Larry (Bette) of Marin County and Bob (Jody) of New York City. He has four grandchildren; Arthur, Liza, Allison and Jonathan.

Originally from the town of Gudensberg in the Hesse region of Germany, he is the middle of three children born to Leopold and Rosa Mansbach. The family had lived in Germany for centuries, and the family tree extended back to the expulsion from Spain.

In the 1930's, the family relocated to Holland. In 1940, Germany invaded Holland, and his brother lost his life in the Rotterdam bombing. With increasing restrictions placed on Jews, Julius and his sister went into hiding in separate locations. His parents were deported to a concentration camp, as was his sister upon her discovery.

From 1942 to 1944, Julius lived with a Dutch family in the town of Oosterhaut. The Eikhout family hid Julius, and one of the Eikhout children, now in his 70's, still lives in the house.

Following the end of World War II, Julius remained in Holland for several years working as a street vendor. He then immigrated to America, and settled in San Francisco where he had an uncle. He took whatever work he could find, including door-to-door salesman.

He identified an opportunity in the wholesale industry, particularly in selling soft goods to retail stores. He established his own wholesale business, Mantex, on Sacramento Street.

Julius met his wife-to-be Ruth in San Francisco and they were married in 1952. First renting a flat where Larry was born in 1953, they purchased a house just prior to the birth of Bob in 1955.

Julius had many interests, including soccer. He helped established the youth league Hakoah soccer team. Later in life, he was a fan of the Premier League. During the World Cup, he supported Holland and watched their matches with great interest.

Julius was also an avid chess player, and could often be found in the chess room at the San Francisco Mechanics Institute. Just two weeks ago, he was proud to have beaten a player half of his age.

Later in life, he developed in interest in stamp collecting, which he continued to pursue even past the age of 100. He also enjoyed his lunches at the Russian Center.

Julius will be missed by his family and many friends.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, January 6, 11 am at Congregation Emanuel (Lake Street and Arguello Avenue), San Francisco.

Donations in Julius' memory can be made to the JFCS Holocaust Center, P.O. Box 159004, SF, CA 94115.