Obituary for Henry Marx April 19 1906-October 31 1995

Henry Marx, 88, of San Luis Obispo, died Tuesday October 31 at a San Luis Obispo Care Center. A memorial gathering will be held at the YMCA Fitness Facility, 1020 Southwood Drive, San Luis Obispo, at 3:00 P.M. Saturday November 11.

Mr. Marx was born in Strassburg Germany, April 19, 1907. He was an enthusiastic participant in the Kameraden, a youth organization dedicated to the appreciation of nature and the arts, to ethical idealism, and to humanitarian service. He married Lise, his wife for 63 years, in Stuttgart Germany in 1932. In 1937, to flee Nazi persecution, they emigrated to New York City, where he worked in business until retirement at age 65. He and Lise then moved to Denver Colorado, where they enjoyed skiing and hiking. In 1989 they settled in San Luis Obispo to reside near the family of their only child.

Mr. Marx was a committed community volunteer throughout his life. In New York he was active in the Democratic party, neighborhood synagogue and Sane Nuclear Policy organizations. In Denver he served as president of the Jewish Community Center, as an officer in the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and as a tireless visitor to elementary schools, where he presented slide shows about places around the world he had visited. His efforts were recognized with a Senior of the Year award, a Community Volunteer award, and an Americans by Choice award.

In San Luis Obispo, Mr. Marx continued his volunteer work into his late eighties. He gave talks and slide shows in high schools, junior highs and at Cal Poly in order to pass on his experiences as a witness to the Nazi Holocaust as a reminder and a warning to the younger generation. He was a Hadassah associate and a docent at the Arts Center. Mr. Marx’s hobbies also produced contributions of energy to community organizations. He was a member of the YMCA Senior Aerobics Club and the Art Center’s Thursday Painters Group.

Mr. Marx is survived by his wife, Lise, his son, Steven, and daughter-in-law, Jan Howell Marx, and his grandchildren, Joe Montgomery Marx and Claire-Elise Grace Marx.

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