Dr. Marcel Gaschke

Dr. Marcel Gaschke

11/24/1925-4/22/2017

Dr. Marcel Gaschke, scientist, world traveler, opera lover, and connoisseur of great food and wine, passed away peacefully at his home in Pleasantville, N.Y. on April 22, 2017. He was 91.

Dr. Gaschke was born on November 24th, 1925 in Jaroslav, Poland. At the beginning of WWII, he and several family members were deported to the Ural Mountains in Russia. Tragically, most of his family who remained in Poland perished. Although conditions were extremely dangerous in Russia, this small group managed to survive.  After the war, Marcel and his mother moved to Paris where he learned French seemingly overnight and achieved an undergraduate degree from the Sorbonne University. They then moved to Chicago to live with his aunt and uncle. Marcel again learned English in record time and was accepted to the University of Chicago where he earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry.

One evening in the mid-fifties, Marcel crashed a cast party which was taking place in his apartment building in Chicago. This is where he met his future wife Lida who was touring with the cast from Pal Joey, a Broadway musical. Lida offered him a sandwich and the rest is history.  For 63 years, Lida and Marcel’s love for one another never died.

Dr. Gaschke worked for Ciba Geigy for most of his career as a research scientist and marketing manager. He was extremely health-conscious, working out regularly at Pace University's Goldstein Fitness Center until two years before he passed.

Marcel was very passionate about life. Despite the hardships he had endured in Europe, he never lost his faith in the goodness of mankind.  He possessed an innocent, childlike quality - an inborn sense of wonder. He more than survived the war; he thrived and continued to develop himself throughout his life.

Marcel had a heart of gold.  He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend, and will be greatly missed.

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