LEON ZANGER

ZANGER--Leon. Leon Zanger, founder and past Board Chairman of Walker Zanger, an iconic luxury stone and tile brand, passed away on January 11, 2021, at age 93 from complications caused by COVID 19. He was born on November 3, 1927. Leon was the loving husband of Hanna Loewe Zanger, and wonderful father to son Jonathan Zanger and daughter Claudia Springer. He was born in Antwerp, Belgium, which he and his mother, father and sister escaped just days before the Nazi invasion in 1940. The family moved through France, and Spain, before settling in Portugal, with many other refugees, later that year. They immigrated to Portuguese East Africa, where he attended middle school, before finally arriving in the United States in 1944. He spoke eight languages, and his daughter often joked that it was unfair for a man who was so soft spoken to be able to converse in so many tongues. In the United States, he and his family settled in New York City. He joined the United States Army in 1946, and was with the Judge Advocate General's office in Germany, during the post war occupation. He put himself through college at New York University and founded his business at the age of 25, importing stone from Portugal to the United States. That company is known throughout the world as a premier stone and tile company and survives today. It supplied stone for many of America's iconic buildings including the JP Getty Museum in Malibu, CA, the Kimball Art Museum in Texas, the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum, the new tower at One Vanderbuilt in New York City as well as countless hotels, office towers and private residences throughout the United States. He met Hanna Loewe, also a Holocaust survivor, at the age of 24, in New York. They married in 1951 and were married for over 67 years until Hanna's death in 2017. They almost never argued and truly had a marriage made in heaven. They lived most of their married life in Riverdale, NY and then Scarsdale, NY before moving to The Hill at Whitemarsh in 2015, near their daughter's home in Gwynedd. When Hanna passed away three and a half years ago, Leon's heart broke and frankly never mended. According to his daughter, he was a masterful investor, he never took himself too seriously, and had a great sense of humor. He never flaunted his success. He always lived far below his means and loved to boast that when he travelled for business without Hanna, he stayed at Motel 6 or a comparable hotel chain. When they travelled together it was very different, as he loved to spoil his family. Leon was a wonderful grandfather to Ethan Springer and Zachary Zanger. He was a loving father- in-law to Jay Springer and Jodi Tan. Leon was the embodiment of the American Dream. He worked extremely hard but because he loved his work, he boasted that he really never worked a day in his life. He and Hanna travelled throughout the world and made lifelong friends, everywhere they went. He was beloved by so many and will be sorely missed www.goldsteinsfuneral.com Goldsteins' Rosenberg's Raphael-Sacks.