David Ganz

David Ganz passed away peacefully on October 21st 2015 at his home in Belmont, MA. He was born on January 11, 1934 in Chelsea, MA to parents who predeceased him, Louis and Pauline Ganz. He leaves behind the love of his life Judith, to whom he was married for almost 60 years. He was the adoring father of three sons, Bryan and his late wife Susan, Neil and his wife, Frances and Eric and his husband, Neil Jacobs. He was the proud grandfather to five grandchildren: Sarah Fessler and her husband Stephen Fessler, Kathryn Ganz and her fiancé John Moriarty, Madeline Ganz, Lt. Alexander Ganz (U.S. Army) and Samantha Ganz. He was also the loving brother of Sheldon Ganz and the dear uncle of many nieces and nephews.

The cornerstone of David’s life and the crux of his character was his overwhelming passion. While he was passionate about many things over the years, his first love was aviation. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and completed flight school in Pensacola, FL where he earned his wings as a helicopter pilot. While at Pensacola he was awarded the Navy Marine Corps medal for bravery, the highest medal awarded during peace time. It is an honor reserved only for those who risk their life to save another. After reaching the rank of Captain he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps and entered the family tire business which he ran for over 50 years. He invented and developed the Galaxy Tire brand for off-road and agricultural tires. However, even as a civilian his love of flying remained a constant and he continued to pilot his own plane, for both business and pleasure, for another 40 years.

A fiercely passionate person, David also had an unwavering sense of compassion, and he devoted his life to helping others, particularly where it came to causes of patriotism and injustice. He was involved with Combined Jewish Philanthropies, he endowed a research chair at St. Jude's Children's hospital, he served on the boards of The Israel bond organization, CAMERA, and he was chair of the board of JINSA (the Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs). He was a large contributor to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the Marine Corps Museum in Washington, D.C., MEMRI (Middle East Media Reporting Institute) and many others. He was also involved with promoting the award-winning documentary film, "Paper Clips" in 2004, a powerful piece about tolerance through the lens of the Holocaust.

A devoted family man, a loyal friend and a true patriot, David touched the lives of many people who will honor his memory for years to come. It is with great sorrow that family and friends mourn his passing, but David’s legacy remains an inspiration to all those who loved him as they strive to fill the void he leaves behind.

Services will be held at the Stanetsky Memorial Chapel, 1668 Beacon St, BROOKLINE, MA on Sunday, October 25th at 10 AM followed by interment at Sharon Memorial Park. Memorial observance will be at his late residence through Monday evening. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy in his memory may be donated to CAMERA at P.O. Box 35040, Boston. MA 02135 or to Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) 1307 New York Ave., NW, Suite 200, Washington, D.C. 20005, or to a charity of your choice.