Gerd Tobias Schloss

Gerd Tobias Schloss March 28, 1914-October 4, 2007 Gerd T. Schloss, MD, 93, died peacefully on October 4, 2007, following a short illness. The older of two children, he was born to Ernst Schloss, MD and Elisabeth Schloss (nee Neubeiser) on March 28, 1914 in Berlin, Germany. Gerd lived in Berlin until he graduated from medical school at the University of Berlin in 1938. He was forced to flee Germany and found refuge in Switzerland where he worked as a medical researcher for the Ciba pharmaceutical firm. He met Helene (Leny) Falk in Basel, Switzerland in 1944 and married her on September 26, 1946. They immigrated to the US on June 2, 1947, where Gerd had a series of jobs as a pathologist including as a faculty member in the department of pathology at Yale University, finally settling in Tucson on June 2, 1954. He was the second pathologist in Tucson, serving as director of laboratories at Tucson Medical Center and as a professor of microbiology at The University of Arizona, where he taught and did cancer research until his retirement in 1979. He was a devoted husband and loving father and grandfather. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Jeannette Schloss in 1978 and by his wife, Leny Schloss in 2007. He is survived by his son, Ernie Schloss; daughter-in-law, Marianne Schloss; daughter, Lizzie Schloss; son-in-law, Tom Larson, and granddaughter, Jeannette Schloss, all of Tucson, as well as his grandson, Jacob Schloss and his wife, Debbie Luchenbill of Columbia, MO; step-granddaughter, Rachel Mindell of Durango, CO, and long-time friend Margot Panofsky of Tucson. Gerd loved living in Tucson. He was a nature lover, avid hiker and photographer, and traveled worldwide with his wife. A true renaissance man, he spoke several languages and read voraciously on many topics, especially history and art history. He loved the arts, music and cinema, often attended Humanities Seminars at The University of Arizona, and attended classical music and opera performances throughout the world. He was fiercely against war and a strong advocate of social justice. He was active in the civil rights movement and was one of the founding board members of the Arizona Civil Liberties Union, as well as the Tucson Humanists Association. In retirement, he continued to be active in the community, serving as president of the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society as well as on the board of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The family wishes to thank Gerd's end of life caregivers and Casa de la Luz Hospice for the humane and exemplary care they provided to him and the family. There will be a reception at the home of Ernie and Marianne Schloss on Sunday October 28, 2007 from 2:00-5:00 P.M. Please call 321-1441 for directions. As Gerd loved nature and was a strong supporter of the Desert Museum, the family requests in lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.