Roman Braunfeld Obituary

Roman A. Braunfeld

October 1, 1925 - December 10, 2016

Roman was born in Stary-Sanch, Poland. When he was a young boy his family moved to the resort town of Rabka-Zdroi. His life changed forever when the Germans invaded in 1939. Almost immediately he was used as a slave laborer. Eventually he and his family were separated. His family was taken to Belzec where they were murdered. He was sent to the Krakow ghetto. From Krakow he was transferred to another forced labor camp called Krakow-Plaszow to work on building barracks for the inmates.

In 1943 Roman was sent from Plaszow to Ostrowiec, Poland. There he was forced to work in a factory for a year until he was transferred to Auschwitz-Birkenau. He was tattooed with the number B 4776. In January 1945 he was part of the infamous death march to Gleiwitz. From there he was transported by open railroad car to Buchenwald. He was one of the few who survived the journey that began in Auschwitz.

On April 11, 1945 Roman was liberated by the American Army. He weighed sixty pounds, had contracted tuberculosis and was barely alive. He was sent to sanitoriums in Germany to begin his recovery. In early 1946 he went to Davos Switzerland where he spent the next two years continuing his journey back to health.

After Roman's recovery, he began school in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1950 he met his future wife Mimi. They were married in 1951 and their daughter Danielle was born in August 1952. With hope for the future his new family emigrated to the United States and in 1954 his son Michael was born.

From the 1953 to 1970 Roman worked as a dental technician for a large dental laboratory. In 1970 he opened his own business; Far West Dental Laboratory where he had a long and successful career until retiring. Roman is survived by his wife of sixty five years Mimi, his daughter Danielle, son-in-law Eddie, son Michael, daughter-in-law Gretchen, grandchildren Sean, Noelle, Nathan, great grandson Redd, and many friends.

A private burial will be held. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Holocaust Center of San Francisco. http://jfcsholocaustcenter.org/

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by San Francisco Chronicle from Dec. 11 to Dec. 13, 2016.

Memories and Condolences
for Roman Braunfeld

7 Entries

SAMUEL WAKIM

January 28, 2017

I remember a very good friend and holocaust survivor Roman Braunfeld on Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Roman was one of the few who survived the January 1945 Death March from Auschwitz to Gleiwitz and was liberated by American troops in April at Buchenwald. Steven Spielberg documented his journey with a video 20 years ago for the Shoah Foundation and is attached.

Roman left Poland after the war and recovered in Switzerland where he met his wife Mimi. He then emigrated to the United States, eventually ending up in San Francisco and owning a very successful dental lab.

His gift was not only in helping dentists change lives, he was a life changer as well. His favorite charity was Delancey Street in San Francisco, helping the homeless get the dental care they needed, including free dentures that he would make, and giving them training and a job in his dental lab.

Roman, and his Swiss wife Mimi, were great friends of ours. When Hannah and I had to get married a second time here in the United States so that we could fulfill Hannah's fiancée visa obligations, Roman stood in to "give Hannah away".

Roman was generous with his love in so many ways. I'll never forget how he diligently worked to be sure that my father-in-law would love the new dentures we made for him.

When we left California 10 years ago, we saw Roman and Mimi for the last time and had lunch at his favorite French restaurant near his lab.

Roman passed away last month in San Francisco. His spirit lives on and as long as I live, I'll never forget Roman. He was a man that I respected and loved. May he forever rest in peace.

Posted on Facebook, January 28, 2017

December 18, 2016

I am so lucky to have known Roman! Always a gentleman, generous and kind!

Mimi, my warm thoughts to ou and yours.

Mark Wilkinson

Virgil Dennis

December 15, 2016

I'll always remember how cheerful and funny Roman was. He was a man of great internal strength and a wonderful outgoing spirit.

I met Roman at my wedding to Ruth Tordjman in 1969 and had an immediate liking to him. He always had a beaming smile that lit up the room and a joke, some of which I'd heard 100 or more times over the years; yet you had to laugh every time because it was not so much the joke as it was the delivery.

His death is truly a loss. May eternal rest be granted unto him and may God's eternal light shine upon him. He was one of the kindest people I have ever met and I will always hold loving memories of him in my heart.

George Bunnell

December 13, 2016

One of the most moving and enduring experiences of my life has been my friendship with Roman and Mimi.

Roman, who had been through so much, was still not bitter; only filled with love and respect for all those he knew and whose lives he touched.

The world was a better place as a result of his presence here, and he will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

My deepest condolences to Mimi and the rest of the family.

jeremiah holman

December 13, 2016

If anyone deserves to go to heaven, it would be this man.

December 12, 2016

A great man has left us. Roman you have been an inspiration for us all. How to live life to the fullest even when you have experienced the darkest of times. Mimi and the kids are in our thoughts.

Lambert, Daphne & Bente

December 11, 2016

We do not know you but we have so much respect and admiration for the life you led and the battles and immense challenges you overcame. There really are no words to express how we felt reading of your struggles and how you let nothing deter you from a successful life. May God Bless you and Your Family. Thank you.

Showing 1 - 7 of 7 results