Jack Lobel's Obituary
Jack Lobel passed away from pneumonia on January 23, 2015 in Granite Bay, CA. He was 93 years old.
Jack was born in the Bronx, New York on June 9, 1921, the male half of a set of twins. His twin sister, Gertrude, his older sister, Pearl, and his parents, Rose and Moishe, completed the immediate family.
Jack grew up in the Bronx, a member of a club of boys whose friendships lasted for the entirety of each of their lives. His father peddled fruits and vegetables from a horse drawn wagon in the lower east side of Manhattan and Jack made the deliveries, usually up several flights of stairs. He attended Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan and then, in 1943, enlisted in the Army. After serving as an infantryman in Italy, including the battle of Anzio, he was transferred to the paratroopers. As a member of a glider squad he was deployed into Normandy three days before the D-Day invasion in order to clear out the beachfront. He was honorably discharged from the Army at the end of 1945.
At a cousin’s wedding in 1946 he met Dorothy Shapiro and announced that this was the women he would marry. That did indeed happen on February 23, 1947, a loving marriage which lasted 55 years and ended only because Dorothy passed away in 2002. In December 1948 they welcomed their daughter Ann into the world and in March 1954 their son Richard completed the nuclear family.
After a short stint working for the VA Jack followed in his father’s footsteps by opening Smiling Jack’s, a produce and grocery store on Avenue C and 10th Street in Manhattan. There he and his father, and occasionally his son, worked long hours to provide for the family.
After 30 years of operating Smiling Jack’s, in 1976 Jack closed the store and moved with his wife to the warmer weather of sunny Florida. Instead of retiring Jack took on new careers. He became a prison guard at a minimum security men’s prison and a volunteer police officer in Delray Beach. Finally, in 1987 both Dorothy and Jack retired. They traveled extensively both within the U.S. and around the world. They enjoyed Elder Hostels where they could visit and learn at the same time. Jack also continued his volunteer work and was awarded the Volunteer of the Year award for the State of Florida.
In 2013, in order to live closer to his son and daughter-in-law, Jack moved to Granite Bay, CA where he resided at Eskaton Lodge. His final birthday, in June 2014, was celebrated by his entire remaining family coming to visit and spending time together. It was a joyous time for all.
Jack is survived by his son Richard, daughter-in-law Laura, son-in-law Jerry, grandsons Ian and Felipe, granddaughter Melissa, and great granddaughter Aleece. Also, two nephews, Larry and Marc, two nieces, Randy and Danielle, and sister-in-law, Ursula. There are many cousins from both of his parents’ sides. He was preceded in death by his wife Dorothy and daughter Ann.
Because of Jack’s great big heart and willingness to do anything for anyone he had untold friends and acquaintances who will miss him greatly. If any angels get a flat tire there will now be someone who will stop and fix it before they can protest.
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