Obituary of Martin Richard "Lefty" Herzog

***PLEASE NOTE:THE BURIAL FOR LEFTY HERZOG WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR THE LANDFIELD AVENUE SYNAGOGUE CEMETERY WILL NOW TAKE PLACE AT THE SULLIVAN COUNTY VETERAN'S CEMETERY, SUNSET LAKE ROAD, LIBERTY, NY. THE FUNERAL SERVICE WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE FUNERAL HOME AS PLANNED AT 11:30AM!*** At the age of ninety-six, with optimism and unwavering determination to live, Lefty Herzog passed away comfortably in New York City at 5:40 p.m. on March 20, 2017. Martin Richard Herzog, the son of Ida (Nemeth) and Fred Herzog, was born on November 3, 1920 in New York City. He was the second oldest of four siblings until his older brother Alfred died as a toddler from the flu. His younger brother Bill (Jeannie) lives in California, and his kid sister, Jacqueline, preceded him in death. At the age of sixteen, Martin and his family moved up to Monticello. He attended Monticello High School and became captain and a star athlete of the baseball, field and track, and cross-country teams. That's when the nickname "Lefty" stuck; he was a great left-handed baseball player! Lefty met the love of his life and best friend, Ida Alice Glick when he was twenty-years-old. After dating for four years, they married on July 31, 1944 before his deployment to the Air Corp, and after-which he became a decorated veteran. Ida and Lefty enjoyed a deep and loving marriage for nearly seventy-three years. They had the type of love affair that people dream of and Lefty expressed his love and adoration of his beautiful Ida throughout each and every day. Ida and Lefty were highly respected business partners in the mountains for over sixty years, and Lefty loved Monticello. Their extraordinarily popular restaurant, LEFTY'S CHAR-BROIL, on Route 42 in Monticello was famous, and is still written about today. Patrons especially loved the: homemade French onion soup, jumbo shrimp cocktail, fresh mountaineer burger, sliced steak sandwich on garlic bread, homemade beer battered onion rings a mile high, fresh-cut steak fries or shoe string, thick shakes, and homemade frozen peanut butter pie, to mention some favorites. Lefty was a gregarious host, had a great sense of humor and he was wonderful storyteller. With his larger than life personality, Lefty always greeted family, friends and patrons with warmth and enthusiasm. Lefty was a beloved and devoted son, brother, husband, father, uncle, grandfather and friend. He is survived by his adored and adoring wife, Ida Alice Herzog; his beloved sons and daughter, Jeff (Miriam), Andrew (Alice), Carla (Michael); grandsons: Stephen (Michelle), Joshua, Adam, and Jordan; brother, Bill (Jeannie), and many nieces and nephews. Lefty was proud of his family and always thought of himself as Lucky Lefty. He was always caring, generous and selfless. Lefty was a dreamer who shared his passion for life, food, and his appreciation of the Arts. Lefty has nourished our hearts, bodies and souls; we will miss him deeply for the rest of our lives Funeral Services will be held on Friday, March 24, 2017 at 11:30 a.m. at the Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home, 388 Broadway, Monticello, NY. Shiva visitation with Ida and Carla will be observed in New York City by appointment. Please contact Carla to schedule a time. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association (http://alz.org/), or Jewish National Fund Tree Center (http://jnf.org). Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home of Monticello. For further service details or to leave an online condolence, please visit www.josephgarlickfuneralhome.com