Ernest Haar, age 88, died peacefully on April 1, 2020 at the William Child's Hospice House in Palm Bay after a short stay. He had been a resident of Viera and enjoyed good health up until a few weeks before he died. He was quite proud of the fact the he exercised and did 15 push-ups daily, without fail.
Ernest was an active and valued member of Temple Israel right to the end. He was a kind man who treated everyone he met with respect and genuinely cared about others. He was born in Vienna, Austria in 1931 and fled with his parents Helen and Jonas to escape Hitler. They moved many times, beginning when he was 7, ultimately climbing the alps from Italy into France where his family hid for 2 years before being captured by the Nazis. Ernest's parents were murdered in Auschwitz and Ernest was hidden on a French farm until the end of the war. At age 15, he was sent to live with and be adopted by his aunt and uncle, Ben and Rose Zinger. Ernest was deeply loved by his adopted parents and was very close to his sisters Fritzi Nozik and Elizabeth Davis throughout their lives. As older adults, they lived within miles of each other in Florida.
Ernest went onto serve in the US Army Reserve for many years and was called up twice to active duty for 2-year deployments. He ultimately became a social worker treating veterans who had drug and alcohol problems. He was superb at what he did and received numerous awards as a result of his dedication. He took great pride in these awards, and even more so in the compassionate care he provided to those in need. Despite the trauma and sadness of his early years, Ernest was truly a kind and gentle soul. In his later life, he met Beverly Bissell, with whom he shared 18 wonderful years until her death in 2011. He was a devoted partner to Beverly Bissell and a wonderful son, brother, uncle, Temple member, neighbor and friend. He leaves behind his sister Fritzi and nieces and nephews who are deeply saddened by his loss.
When asked how it was that he was not an angry and bitter person after all he had gone through, Ernest explained that he chose to focus on the good in the world. He remembered the kind people who bravely helped both him and his family, and he chose to focus on the good in people and hope in the world. There is a quote that “The road to success is less about the destination and more about the manner in which you traveled.” The kindness, compassion, devotion and gentleness with which Ernie made his journey through life places him at the pinnacle of success.
Attendance will only be via "Facebook Live" as we comply with the COVID 19 pandemic guidelines.
Thank You,
Fountainhead Funeral Home
Tell family and friends to “Like” the Fountainhead Funeral Home Facebook page and have Facebook open to our page prior to our live event at 3:00pm on Sunday, April 5, 2020.
They will see we are going Live with Ernest’s service and be able to attend through Facebook Live. It will also show up in our news feed on our Facebook page to view later if they are not available to attend when it goes live.
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