Irvin Yaffe

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Irvin Yaffe, on January 5, 2015, 5 days before his 97th birthday, in Austin, Texas. A lifelong resident of Omaha, Nebraska before his recent move to Texas, he lived for family and community. He was a graduate of Central High School and a 1940 graduate of The University of Nebraska, where he lettered in Basketball for 3 years as a varsity starter. He was also President of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity. He served in the US Army Signal Corps and Medical Corps in WWII stateside, rehabilitating wounded soldiers. He played on the Army basketball team and for many years on club teams in Omaha; where he once played against the Harlem Globe Trotters. After the war, he joined his brother, Sol Yaffe, in their father's printing business, N.S. Yaffe Printing, which was established in 1906. The brothers worked alongside their father and then together in the business until it was sold in 1986.

Among numerous community organizations in which he volunteered, preeminent was the Westside Community Schools Board of Education, on which he served for 24 years. He was also a member of the Nebraska State School Board Association. Working to improve and advance the educational opportunities of his community was a lifelong passion that dominated his many years of service to Omaha. He was also a board member of the Jewish Community Center; the Jewish Federation; Hattie B. Munroe Pavilion and Foundation and the Munroe-Meyer Institute at the Nebraska Medical Center; the Highland Country Club (where he could be found on the golf course, spring into fall, on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings); and other organizations. A self-described "gym rat" and life-long athlete, he regularly worked out at the Jewish Community Center into his 90s. After his retirement, he was proud to be a member of the Bagel Bin Boys and served as a volunteer literacy tutor. He received innumerable awards for his community service to education, the printing industry and the Jewish community and was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame at the Westside Community Schools in 1987, the first so honored.

He never met a stranger. Ever the optimist, when asked how he was doing he would often reply, "I'm great -- but I'll get better." Gregarious and charming, he made friends wherever he went and loved most of all to be surrounded by the many friends and relatives he knew his entire life. Kind and generous, he gave countless hours to the community to improve the lives of others. He was a loyal friend, devoted husband and dedicated, loving father who was always there for his girls. We had to share him with the rest of Omaha, but we always felt his love and concern and were the beneficiaries of his sound advice in all things. He wasn't a risk taker, and although he traveled widely, he needed to breathe the air of the place where he was born, surrounded by those he grew up with, worked with, served with and befriended along the way.

He is survived by Annette; his wife of 65 years, his daughters Joan and husband Robert Baumgardner, Jr. of Austin; Ann and her husband Lee Phillips of Montclair, NJ and grandchildren Perry and Lucy Phillips. Contributions in his memory can be made to Westside Community Schools Foundation or the Munroe-Meyer Institute. Arrangements are pending for a Memorial Service in Omaha, Nebraska.

HIS MOTTO: DISCRETION IS THE BETTER PART OF VALOR