Obituary of Morris William "Nissy" Nissenbaum
Spring Glen, NY
Morris William “Nissy” Nissenbaum passed away on December 11, 2019 at the Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, NC at the age of 97. He was born in Windsor Locks, CT on March 6, 1922 to Joseph and Pauline (Feldman) Nissenbaum. A few years later, the family relocated to New York City and then to Spring Glen, NY, where he remained a lifelong resident.
As a teen, Nissy helped run the family business, Nissenbaum’s Cottages, and the family’s small farm. He attended Ellenville High School, where he was a talented athlete and lettered in four sports. After graduating high school in 1941, he attended an airplane mechanics school in Utica, NY. He then joined the United States Army Air Corps and served as a mechanic on B-17 bomber planes during World War II.
After returning from military service, he married his high school sweetheart, Frances Rosenblum, and they had two sons, Neil and Edward, whom he adored. Nissy purchased a garage and filling station called Spring Glen Motors, where he worked as a mechanic until his retirement in 1986. Also, in 1951, he and Frances also took over running Rosenblum’s Bungalow Colony in Spring Glen until 1978. After his retirement, he became a “snowbird”, wintering at the Natura Senior Community in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
Nissy was one of the amazing men of America’s Greatest Generation. As his mother would say in Yiddish, "Moyshe has two golden hands” because he was able to build or fix almost anything. He was very calm, charismatic, and helpful, and neighbors were always drawn to him. Besides his own family, he was “Uncle Nissy” or a Big Brother to dozens of children who summered at the bungalow colony. He was extremely knowledgeable of all the local wildlife and the mountainous terrain, and loved to share this knowledge with friends in the area.
Nissy was president of the Spring Glen Synagogue, president of the former Homowack Gun Club, and a member of Wawarsing Lodge #582 of the Free and Accepted Masons. He was an avid outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish. He was also an active member of the Natura Community in Florida, participating in shuffleboard, bocce and other social activities, always proudly cooking a dish to bring to the poolside/clubhouse parties.
Nissy is survived by his son Neil Nissenbaum (Teresa Alvarado) of Jacksonville, NC, grandsons Paul Nissenbaum of New York City and Mark Nissenbaum of Tallahassee, FL. He also leaves nephews John Nissenbaum of Monroe, NY and Allan (Theresa) Nissenbaum of Delray Beach, FL; and nieces Lynne Rosenblum of Hopkinton, MA, Phyllis (Peter) Jarvis of South Windsor, CT, Susan (Peter) Schalow of Winter Park, FL, Thelma (Herbert) Schnitzer of South Orange, NJ, Leah Weinrauch of West Palm Beach, FL and Amy (Daniel) Abbot of Delray Beach, FL, as well as numerous great, great-great, and great-great-great nieces and nephews. He was also like a father and a grandfather to the family next door: Yola Irwin and her three children. He was pre-deceased by his wife Frances, beloved son Eddie, brother Solomon Nissenbaum, and nieces Rosalie Hodas and Elaine Stepner.
A funeral service will take place on Sunday, December 15, 2019 at 12:00pm at the Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home/Cong. Anshe Tzadyik Synagogue, 186 Canal Street, Ellenville, NY 12428 with Rabbi Hillel Grossman officiating. Burial will immediately follow at the synagogue cemetery, Route 209 in Wawarsing.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Spring Glen Synagogue (PO Box 105, Spring Glen) or to a charity of one's choice.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home - Ellenville; “Honorably Serving the Tri-County Jewish Community for 70 Years” 845-647-7747 or www.josephngarlickfuneralhome.com.
