Harry Fybel

Harry Fybel died on September 25, 2024, after a brief illness. Just six weeks earlier, Harry celebrated his 100th birthday and regaled his family with his humor, reflections of life and words of gratitude. Harry was born in Berlin, Germany on July 30, 1924. He grew up in Osterode, a small village in the Harz Mountains of Germany, to loving parents, Kaethe and Kurt. Harry had a beautiful childhood, but by 1934 this all disappeared in the nightmare of Nazi Germany, as Harry faced numerous acts of anti-Semitism. Through an elaborate plan hatched by his father, the family escaped Germany, leaving everything behind. They arrived in America in July, 1938, just weeks before Harry’s thirteenth birthday; this is when Harry first saw, and fell in love with The Statue of Liberty.

Harry and his family settled in Los Angeles, where they had relatives. Harry once said he “couldn’t become an American fast enough.” He graduated from Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, and in September, 1943, was drafted into the US Army to serve his newfound country. He served in the Persian Gulf, France and Pacific Theaters as part of the 1190th Engineering Company.

Returning home in 1946, Harry attended classes at UCLA and USC, worked as a driving instructor and was later manager at The Finance Company in Santa Monica. He soon met Jeri Bolton and married in 1951; they had two daughters, Karen and Linda. The family enjoyed life, living in Culver City, Ladera Heights and Bel Air. In the 1960s, Harry acquired the Michael Levine Fabric Store in downtown Los Angeles, where he applied his creative and artistic talents in making it LA’s largest fabric store. Los Angeles Magazine dubbed him “The Shmata King.”

Harry and Jeri made many lifelong friends who enjoyed his sense of humor and generosity. Harry was an artist, painting well into his 90s. He loved cars, tending to his koi pond and playing cards. Harry was eternally grateful for his fortunate life.

In 1998, Harry participated in the Survivors of the Shoah project conducted by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Harry concluded his interview by saying “…when people of different races, religions and cultures are not treated with respect and human decency and when a society is allowed or motivated to look the other way…what happened in Nazi Germany could happen anywhere, including here. So we must always be vigilant and try, each in our own way, to be respectful, decent human beings.”

Harry is survived by his wife, Jeri, of 73 years; his daughter, Linda Meutsch, her husband, Kevin, and grandson, Tyler. His daughter, Karen (1989), and his brother, Ernest (2010), preceded him in death. To honor Harry, donations may be made to the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles.