Jerome Kassel

NEEDHAM - Jerome Kassel, 92, most recently of Dedham, MA, passed away Sunday, November 1. Jerry--as he was known to all--was a long-time Needham neighbor, outdoor enthusiast, world traveler, avid New England sports fan and proud Army veteran. He was born in The Bronx, New York and grew up in the Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn.
After earning a Bachelor of Science degree at Bradley University--the first in his family to attend college--and serving as a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, Jerry enlisted in the Army to support the Korean War effort. He was assigned to a fledgling rocket-development unit at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL that sought highly-technical university graduates. There he worked under the guidance of Dr. Wernher von Braun, a leader of Nazi Germany's rocket program who was brought to the US to head the Army's ballistics program. The work of Jerry's unit became the foundation of the US space program. The irony of being a young Jewish boy from Brooklyn working under a Nazi in the Deep South to establish the US military's might was never lost on Jerry, and he would often regale his family with stories from his Army days.
After his service, Jerry returned to New York where he earned his Master of Science degree in engineering from Columbia University. He moved to Boston following graduation to take a job with an electronics-components startup called Unitrode, an early player in the consumer-electronics industry. Unitrode would later become part of Texas Instruments--and its power-management chips became critical in today's mobile technology. His risk-taking and entrepreneurial spirit rubbed off on his children who, at multiple points in their careers, have founded or joined startups.
While in Boston he joined the Whiz Skiers and New York-based Miramar ski clubs, spending winter weekends in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Green Mountains of Vermont. Through Miramar he met his future wife Elaine. Together, they skied the Northeast, the glaciers of the West and the peaks of Europe--on more than one occasion with a baby in a backpack.
With their first two children in tow, the couple moved to Israel in 1971 to "make Aliyah." Their third child, Michael, was born there. Before returning to the US, Jerry and Elaine rented a VW Camper in Europe, loaded up the kids and spent months traversing the continent. Back in the States, Jerry held jobs with Raytheon Corporation, Bose and Digital Equipment Corporation, always eager to be involved with the latest emerging technology in the aerospace and electronics sectors. He retired from Raytheon after playing a role in the Patriot Missile program. Jerry served as a parent coach in the Needham Little League, softball and
soccer programs. He cherished his time as an adult leader of Troop 2 in Needham, where both of his sons became Eagle Scouts, accompanying the boys on countless camping trips.
In retirement--never cured of the travel and adventure bug--Jerry criss-crossed the world with Elaine on Elderhostel trips: cruising the rivers of France; exploring the Australian outback and New Zealand; visiting the cultural sites of China, Spain and Portugal; volunteering in Navajo, Zuni and Hopi communities; and visiting his children when they held overseas assignments in the UK and Hong Kong. Particularly memorable trips included a Thanksgiving family get-together in Amsterdam when the Kassel family converged from around the world, and driving with his son David across the West to visit his daughter Gabrielle in San Francisco.
When he got restless, Jerry would leave Elaine at home and embark on adventure travel to Maine, Newfoundland, Florida, Arizona, Montana, Nevada and California, visiting family and longtime friends along the way--or simply hike the trails in Needham's woods.
In later years, visits with his grandchildren in Massachusetts and California brought him great joy. And he particularly loved attending Major League baseball games with them. Despite his New York roots and his love of the New York Giants baseball team, he became and remained a die-hard Red Sox fan. His allegiance to the Patriots and other New England teams could never be shaken.
Jerry is survived by his wife of 53 years, Elaine; his three children, David, Gabrielle and Michael and their spouses Rebecca, Christian and Karen, respectively; his grandchildren Lily, Andrew, Chloe, Liam, Max and Julie; his niece Fern Kravitz and nephew Mitchell Lief and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents Samuel and Etta, his sister Joan Lief and her husband Arthur.
A spring or summer 2021 memorial service and celebration of Jerry's life is planned.
In lieu of flowers, the Kassel family kindly requests that you honor Jerry's passion for the outdoors and support of environmental causes by making a contribution in his name to the Sierra Club, World Wildlife Fund or Appalachian Mountain Club.