Maurice Gelb

Maurice Gelb (March 9, 1935 - January 4, 2025) - Beloved husband of Sherry, loving father of David (Marlyn) Gelb & Audrey Gelb, devoted grandfather of Madelyn & Arielle and also survived by his sister, Esther Feinberg, and dear nieces, nephew and cousins. Maurice was a proud member of the 198th Class of Central High School and of Temple University. He spent his career as an educator in the School District of Philadelphia

Maurice was the kindest, sweetest and most caring gentleman.   He was an extremely special human being.  We are all so grateful to have had him in our lives.  We could all count on Maurice.  He was the calm in the storm.  He cherished his family and friends.  His best friend, whom he spoke with on his last day, will tell the story of how they met almost 8 decades ago when they were 10 years old sledding in Fairmount Park. Maurice was not the most athletic, but he always tried. Heading toward the creek, Maurice could not easily stop his sled and ended up with a badly sprained ankle.

Maurice loved music and played the violin for most of his life. But the love of his life was his wife Sherry. They met teaching at Wilson Junior High School and remained married for almost 63 years.

He cared for the most vulnerable and always wanted to do his part.  He was 82 years old when he purchased his first electric car.  And he had fun driving it, even if it was just a couple of miles every few days to the grocery store; he hoped it would help to make a difference for the planet.  He was an inspiration in so many ways. 

Maurice never dreamed as a child from the Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia he would spend his last few years living in Pacific Palisades, CA.  He truly appreciated every moment of every day and all the beauty that surrounded him.   He loved sitting on the bench on the bluffs overlooking the ocean, and each time he would tell us what a wonderful life he had. He considered himself the luckiest man in the world, but we were the lucky ones.

Maurice has touched so many, and he will be so deeply missed.

If you would like to make a donation in his memory, these were some of his favorite charities:

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

ASPCA

Magen David Adom

NRDC

Jewish National Fund 

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital   

https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR?px=8705924&fr_id=154020&pg=personal

ASPCA  

https://secure.aspca.org/donate/memorial?ms=wb_lpf_waystogive-teaser&initialms=wb_lpf_waystogive-teaser&pcode=WEBMEMORY&_gl=1*cwv9z5*_gcl_au*NTg3NTE1NDkzLjE3MzcyNDU2NDg.

Magen David Adom  https://afmda.org/donate/

NRDC https://action.nrdc.org/donation/3466-tribute-gift-nrdc

Jewish National Fund https://shop.jnf.org/collections/plant-trees?pf_t_occasion=occasion_In+Memory+Of