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Gerd Strauss Obituary
STRAUSS GERD M. STRAUSS (Age 90) Formerly of Silver Spring, MD died Wednesday, December 31, 2008 after a short illness in Tucson, AZ. Strauss, a Holocaust survivor, had resided in Tucson with his wife, Inge, since 1986. She died in 2003. Gerd is survived by sons, Michael of Tucson and Gary of Arlington, VA; daughters-in-law, Tali and Elizabeth (Belton); granddaughters, Nicole, Lauren and Emily and a great-granddaughter, Aubrey. Strauss was born in Giessen, Germany on February 23, 1918. At 20, he was shipped to the Buchenwald concentration camp. Following the war, he and Inge, who fled Nazi Germany before the war, married in 1947. They eventually settled in the U.S., living in New York, Chicago, IL and Philadelphia, PA before moving to Silver Spring in 1963. He worked in the retail industry before embarking on a real estate career. Strauss was instrumental in building two housing projects for low income elderly Tucson residents. He also was active teaching local schools about the Holocaust. Funeral services will be held at Tucson's Evergreen Cemetery, Sunday, January 4. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Strauss Fund, 3681 N. River Canyon Rd., Tucson, AZ 85711.
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Memories and Condolences
for Gerd Strauss
5 Entries
John & Amanda Saffold
January 6, 2009
Dear Strauss Family,
We were fortunate to be Gerd's neighbors the last sixth months of his life and we are better for having met him. He was the first neighbor to welcome us to Tucson (with a smile and cookies) and he gave our three year old son, Daniel, U.S. Military toy tanks, Hummers and "Army men". to play with. It was an honor to become acquainted with your father/grandfather and we will not forget his kindness to us and his service to society as a whole.
Carole D'Auria
January 4, 2009
To all of the Strauss family,
Please accept my sincerest condolences at the loss of this great man. Even though I only saw him infrequently, I knew that he was an amazing person. The world was a better place with him in it and he will be sorely missed.
Gary Kipnis
January 3, 2009
Michael, the Entire Strauss Family and Helen,
My sincere condolences to you in the loss of your dad, grandfather and special friend.
I will always cherish my fond memories of Gerd. I am fortunate to be able to say he was my friend, confidant and B'nai B'rith mentor when I agreed, with his encouragement, to become President of the B'nai B'rith Sahuaro Lodge #763 in Arizona for 2007/2008. I will miss his emails and frequent telephone calls.
I fondly recall my last visit with Gerd at his home... we spent almost an hour trying to catch a bird that had flown into the house, perched on a window ledge high above the fireplace near the living room ceiling, and as it flew around the room Gerd gave me a laundry basket and shouted detailed instructions on how to catch the bird while he sat on the sofa... never did get that bird.
Gerd's response, "Gary, you were in the chicken business in Chicago, and you don't know how to catch a little bird!?"
Theresa Beaty
January 2, 2009
You will always live in our hearts and prayers.
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Maralyn Hauer
January 2, 2009
Gerd was a good man who gave a living legacy to the community. May he rest in peace.
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