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Rockland County resident Harry Vogel of Tappan died on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at the age of 87, according to his obituary.
Born on Yom Kippur in Frankfurt, Germany in 1935, Vogel was the first son of Arthur Vogel, who was taken to Buchenwald concentration camp during the Holocaust. However, Vogel's father was given the option to buy his family's way out because he had children and family members in the US willing to sponsor them, and they made the arduous journey across the Atlantic Ocean on a freighter to Nova Scotia, where they became refugees.
The family then moved to New York City, living in an apartment in the Bronx on Tremont Avenue. It was here that Vogel learned a strong work ethic from his father, and he became good at tinkering and fixing issues in his apartment building.
Growing up, Vogel soon became drawn to water sports and became a skilled canoer, kayaker, sailor, windsurfer, exhibition diver, and swimming team captain. During his sophomore year in high school, his coach recommended that he work at Surprise Lake Camp, a Jewish summer camp in Cold Spring. This recommendation led to a 71-year career at the camp, where he eventually became Administrative Director.
During his time at the camp, he focused on the waterfront, designing three floating docks for campers after extensive research and surveying of the camp's lake, according to his obituary.
In addition to his time with Surprise Lake Camp, Vogel also attended City College in New York City to study engineering, and also joined the college's ROTC program, for which he "jumped out of perfectly good airplanes in the paratroopers, and printed leaflets and propaganda in the psychological warfare department and blew stuff up," his obituary said.
However, a rare eye condition that made it hard to read for long periods of time cut Vogel's engineering career short, which led him to pivot to a career as an industrial arts teacher in New York City, which gave him the summers off to work at the camp.
Known for his work ethic and his kindness, Vogel was motivated to make his life as enjoyable and meaningful as possible.
"He said there was a reason he was saved from Hitler’s ovens, and it was necessary for him to make his life worthwhile. He did that everyday by making people smile, by being an example of how to live your best life, and by finding the fun in even the most mundane chores," his obituary said, which also called him the "King of Summer."
He was also known for his immense love for his wife, Bobbi, who he married in 1959, and his two daughters, Joan and Melissa.
An active man, Vogel kept up his strength well into his 70s and 80s, and when asked how he kept healthy for so long, he would reply with, "I'm just Harry," according to his obituary.
Vogel was buried in Gates of Zion Cemetery in Airmont at 670 Saddle River Rd. on Monday, Dec. 26.
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