Sidney Lawrence Kahn, III (Larry) passed away on August 29, 2018. He had undergone two stem cell transplants for the treatment of lymphoma and carried on bravely for 11 years with various complications. He was 72.
Larry was born the oldest of three brothers on August 13, 1946, to Sidney and Maxine Kahn, in Memphis, Tennessee, where his family had lived for generations. He went north to attend Amherst College, where he received his B.A. Following graduation he joined the U.S. Navy, and upon completion of Officer Candidate School he married his long time love and soulmate, Susan Merklas, on December 22, 1968. Married nearly 50 years, they were a remarkable example of dedication, love and commitment and a shining example to the family they created. Together they left for Sasebo, Japan, where Larry served as a Lieutenant j.g. on an admiral’s staff on a repair ship. The ship made several trips to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, where Larry was in charge of the admiral’s shore patrol boats. He told many harrowing tales of landing CIA agents at night and other assignments.
He and Susan lived in Japan, which they loved, until his discharge, after which he attended Harvard Business School and received his M.B.A. with “High Distinction.” His interest was in real estate development, and after graduation he joined U.S. Home Corp. in Naples, Florida, where he learned home building from the ground up, working in the field. In 1974, an opportunity with Planned Development Corp. brought him to Miami, and in 1986, he formed his own company, Lowell Homes, Inc. His focus was on “value” and “elegance” and he always strived to build a quality home. Today, the company has built thousands of homes throughout South Florida with a longtime team of dedicated employees and a loyal customer following. He treasured working with his longtime business partner and daughter, Lani. Larry also served on several corporate boards, including Levitt Corp., Florida International Bank, and Great Florida Bank.
Larry has played a major role in a variety of professional and civic organizations. He served as President of the Builders Association of South Florida and was inducted into the organization’s esteemed Hall of Fame. He has served on the boards of the Miami Dade Affordable Housing Foundation Trust, the City of Miami Downtown Development Authority, and the Brickell Area Association. He was President of the South Dade Chamber of Commerce and a trustee of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. He also served on the boards of WPBT Channel 2 and the Chapman Partnership for the Homeless. He had a tremendous appreciation for Florida International University and served on its board of trustees, the FIU Medical School Advisory Board, the Council of 100, and the FIU Foundation.
His deepest civic dedication, however, has been to Baptist Hospital as Vice Chairman and most recently bringing Miami Cancer Institute (MCI) to life. As the founding Chairman of MCI, he envisioned a cancer center designed with a compassionate patient experience in mind. He wanted to ensure that South Florida patients could stay in Miami and receive world class cancer treatment.
Larry was happiest in the outdoors and took his growing family nearly every summer to the national parks. He led the family on hikes through Yosemite, Glacier Park, the Tetons, Zion, Sequoia, and the Smokies – as well as the Inca Trail in Peru and the slopes of Mt. Everest with his daughter, Lauren. For many summers the entire family has gathered in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which he considered his second home. Back in Miami he loved to fish for snook off the coast of Flamingo in the Everglades with his son, Lowell. He was also an amateur astronomer and traipsed everyone outside every winter to see Orion appear in the night sky.
Above all, Larry loved his children and grandchildren. Having them all at the dining room table was his greatest joy. He often said he had the “best family in the world” and as late as a week ago said he was the “luckiest guy in the world”. He is survived by his wife Susan, his daughter Lani (Gene), his son Lowell (Carrie), his daughter Lauren (Johnnie), his grandchildren Will, Sam, Chloe, Ella, and Kelsey, and his brothers Bill and Bruce.
A memorial service will be held at Temple Beth Am at 5950 SW 88 Street, Pinecrest, FL on Tuesday, September 4, 2018, at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Larry and Susan Kahn Immunotherapy Treatment and Research Fund at Miami Cancer Institute. (Baptist Health South Florida Foundation – 1575 San Ignacio Avenue, Suite 406, Coral Gables, FL 33146).
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