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Today we remember Paul Zerzawy, Helene’s beloved nephew.
Paul was born on October 2, 1895 and died on July 24, 1948 at the age of 53. He was born in Bilin in Bohemia, as had been his mother and aunt. He was a soldier in Romania in World War I, survived the 1918 flu, lived and worked as an attorney in Vienna, and came to the U.S. in 1939. He helped his young cousins come to the US and tried in vain to help their parents do so. He found it difficult to make a living in his new home. He was unable to establish himself as an attorney, but found that he could make use of his musical avocation.
The doctor who signed Paul’s death certificate was Dr. Gropper. I remember that name because Dr. Marc Gropper was my mother’s physician until he retired. Like my mother, he was born in Europe and his family escaped Vienna in 1938 and eventually landed in San Francisco. Although he would have been too young to have been a doctor in 1948, his father was also a doctor so it appears that his family cared for mine for decades.
When Paul came to San Francisco, his mother’s cousin Hilda and her husband Nathan Firestone welcomed him into their home. Nathan died in 1943. Paul’s will shows how grateful he was to Hilda for all she had done for him.
As I was preparing this post, it occurred to me to look for an obituary for Paul. I found it in the San Francisco Examiner. In addition, I found two brief items mentioning him in earlier editions of the Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle.
His death notice on page 11 of the July 26, 1948 issue of the Examiner reads:
“ZERZAWY – In this city, July 24, 1948. Paul Zerzawy, cousin of Mrs. Nathan Firestone; a native of Czechoslovakia, aged 52 years. A member of Musicians’ Union, Local No. 6.”
Although the newspaper lists his age as 52, he was 53 at the time of his death.
On page 50 of the February 25, 1940 issue of the Examiner in the “Music and Art World” section, a small advertisement appears:
“New Piano Studio. Formerly of Vienna and Prague, Paul Zerzawy has opened at the Heine Piano Company, 279 O’Farrell Street, a piano studio for instruction, for coaching in ensemble and for accompaniment.”
On page 55 of the May 11, 1941 Chronicle, an item on a meeting of the National Council of Jewish Women mentioned that Paul Zerzawy would be a “guest musician” during the intermission of a presentation.
My mother often spoke of the musical evenings she enjoyed as a child at their home in Vienna. I now realize that the music was often supplied by her older cousin Paul. Fortunately, his love of music and avocation of playing piano allowed him to make at least a meager income in San Francisco.
In item 4 of his will, Paul leaves his personal effects to Hilda and his brother Robert in England, and indicates that whatever is left should be destroyed. Under item 6, he states: “I assume that Hilda will contact my cousins Eva Goldsmith and Harry Lowell to find out if there is anything of interest to them.” Eva kept Paul’s photo albums and official papers and Harry kept a box with copies of letters and loose photographs. Paul’s gifts to our family in life and in death were invaluable.
