Karl Hess, age 91, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family on February 25, 2024 at home in West Nyack, NY. He will be missed by his wife of almost 67 years, Ruth; children Diana Hess and wife Emily Bernardo, and Barbara Hess and husband Roger Weaver; grandchildren Carly and husband Ryan Glassman, Rebecca and fiancé Nick Lawler, Abigail Weaver, and Roger Weaver; and great-grandson Seaver Glassman. Karl is predeceased by his three brothers, Walter, Peter and Frank.
Karl was a Holocaust survivor and original owner of Hess Architects - and was awarded for his work in Rockland County. He designed and was honored for the first Holocaust Museum in Spring Valley, NY.
At age 7, Karl and his family traveled from Ruppichteroth, Germany to flee the Holocaust to Holland, then Ecuador, finally settling in Washington Heights, NY. Karl’s father, Oscar was fortunate to get out of Dachau concentration camp to be reunited with his family in Holland.
In 1955, Karl was introduced to Ruth Reuben, a native of Rockland County, by his brother Walter’s girlfriend and future wife, Hannah. Hannah was best friends with Ruth from their first day at Hunter College and decided Ruth should go on a blind date with Karl. Ruth and Karl went on that date, and they were married 10 months later followed by a two month honeymoon in Europe.
Karl and Ruth were avid attendees of Broadway, Lincoln Center, and the Roundabout Theater. They loved traveling together to Israel and many other countries around the world. He will be greatly missed.
Services will be held at Hellman Memorial Chapels on Wednesday, February 28th at 11am.
Burial will take place at Cedar Park Cemetery in Paramus, NJ immediately following services.
Donations may be made in Karl’s memory to the Orangetown Jewish Center, 8 Independence Ave, Orangeburg, NY 10962; JCC Rockland, 450 W Nyack Rd, West Nyack, NY 10994; and the Holocaust Museum & Center for Tolerance and Education, (RCC Library Media Center), 145 College Road, Rm 4110, Suffern, NY 10901.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Hellman Memorial Chapels, 15 State Street, Spring Valley, NY 10977 (845) 356-8600 Jewish Funeral Directors
