Martin Blatner, who fled the Nazis in 1939, passed away May 13, 2013, in San Jose, Calif. He was 91. Rabbi Aharon Meir Cunin officiated at the graveside service at Shalom Garden/Los Gatos Memorial Park in San Jose.
He was devoted to his family and is remembered as a kind, gentle man who was fond of nature, theater and his Jewish heritage, his loved ones said.
Mr. Blatner grew up in Passau, Germany.
He lived there until fleeing the Nazis with his family in 1939. He lost several members of his extended family in the Holocaust.
Distant relatives in America took in the Blatner family.
Mr. Blatner apprenticed as a watchmaker in Albany, NY, and became a US citizen at the end of WW II.
At age 23 he was drafted and sent to Germany to work as an interpreter for a military intelligence center near Frankfurt for one-and-a-half years.
Mr. Blatner returned to America after finishing his military service and eventually settled in California.
In 1958, he opened Martin Jewelers in San Jose, Calif. Mr. Blatner worked at the shop full-time until two weeks before his death.
He married Gertrude Blatner in 1950 and Jackie Punte in 1976.
Mr. Blatner is survived by his children Michelle (Steve) Miller of Denver, Michael Blatner of Bend, Ore., Robert (Sarah) Blatner of Redwood City, Calif., and David (Anita) Blatner of San Jose, Calif.; and grandchildren Jeremy, Max, Shani, Andrew, Eric, Kayla and Heather.
Contributions may be made to Chabad of San Jose, 15405 Los Gatos Blvd., #204, Los Gatos, CA 95032; or Bais Menachem in Denver.
Copyright © 2013 by the Intermountain Jewish News
