Martin Feibusch, 95, has made the most of life circumstances and turned challenges into opportunities. Born in Germany on March 6, 1918, his Jewish parents were forced to physically separate the family in 1933 under the Hitler regime, sending a daughter to Palestine and Martin to San Francisco to live with his uncle. His mother and brother were given 30 days to leave the country, and traveled via Sweden to find safe harbor in England. Martin's father stayed behind in Germany and was sent to a concentration camp on the infamous "Crystal Night" in 1938. He eventually escaped and joined his wife in London. Adding to the stress and uncertainty of the time, Martin's uncle, Moritz Feibusch, a food broker with offices England, was one of the 13 passengers killed in the Hindenburg Airship disaster in 1937.
Moving to
San Francisco in 1933 was a trying time for both this rebellious teenager and
his Uncle Moritz, who thought he was welcoming a 6 year old into his home! Fortunately, Martin soon met a wonderful
family who treated him like one of their own, and in fact became extended
family when Martin married their daughter, Constance, seven years after they first
met. Martin and Connie moved up their
wedding date after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Martin was drafted just
seven weeks after the wedding. He served
in the US Army for 3 1/2 years in England, Africa and Italy, and participated
in three invasions. When he returned
home, Martin's father had a vacant apartment ready for the couple in San
Francisco. They waited until after
Martin's parents were able to join them in California in 1947 before starting a
family; they have two sons. Martin and
Connie moved a total of 17 times on the SF Peninsula as he opened toy and gift
stores. His final business operation was
a hand crafted wooden toy manufacturing company. Throughout his working life, Martin was
active in organizations such as the Santa Cruz Ave. Merchants Association, and
ran the local Christmas parade.
Retiring at
64, Martin wanted to keep his mind active so he became more deeply involved in
the life-long hobby of stamp collecting he began at age 8. After convincing Connie to also retire, Martin
and Connie went on a seven week "stamp safari," traveling across the
United States during the week and attending stamp shows on the weekends, always
following a different route. He became
interested in exhibiting his work and won numerous awards over time. Martin and Connie also developed lasting
friendships with other stamp collectors and historians, including the chief
curator of the postal museum at the Smithsonian Institute. His collection includes over 400 envelopes
(called 'covers') from the first flight of the Hindenberg. He also stays involved in his living
community and looks out for the welfare of all.
Recalling my
own father's interest in stamp collecting, I developed a newfound appreciation
of this hobby as Martin described his passion.
According to Wikipedia, stamp collecting is still one of the most
popular indoor hobbies, with over 200 million collectors worldwide! In stamp collecting, Martin notices the
printing, design, and watermark on the stamp which he purchases at auctions and
through friends. He also considers
himself a postal historian; he tracks the mail routing and finds that the
contents of letters are sometimes more interesting than the stamp itself.
Martin's
proclaimed secret to success is his 71 year marriage. Connie and her family have always been very
supportive of him. He also believes that
keeping his mind and body active have kept him vibrant into his 90s. Martin is not a participant in the technology
revolution and does not use a computer.
He still uses manual spreadsheets to track his investments, and does
just fine!
His advice
for today's youth and working adults: plan for your retirement and your future,
because it doesn't come automatically.
In today's uncertain economy and world, that's wise advice, indeed.
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