Max Appel
Innovator and philanthropist Max Appel passed away on January 27, 2024. He celebrated his 92nd birthday three days before his death. A service was held on January 30 at Temple Sinai, with interment at Emanuel Cemetery, officiated by Rabbi Rick Rheins. Feldman Mortuary made the arrangements.
A Denver native, Mr. Appel was born on January 24, 1932. He attended North High School and CU Boulder.
Mr. Appel and Elaine Monderer were married in 1958 in Pueblo and remained married for 65 years. They were among the earliest members of Temple Sinai.
In 1977, the couple formed the Hoky Carpet Sweeper Company. A renowned innovator, Mr. Appel developed an environmentally safe furniture polish in his garage, incorporating Valencia orange oil. He named the creation Orange Glow, and then invented OxiClean.
Other products under the Orange Glo International umbrella were Kaboom Bathroom Cleaner and Orange Glo Wood Cleaner and Polish. Mr. Appel and his family sold the business in 2006 to Church and Dwight, Inc.
“Max was an innovator from the very beginning,” his family said. “Whether it was forming his own fraternity or designing an innovative space heater, Max was always creating something.”
Mr. Appel’s son Joel said: “Max looked at everything through the eye of an entrepreneur and innovator. Failure was part of the process. Everything could be improved.
“He was never deterred, and always had a smile from the joy of trying. We joked as a family about his basement full of crazy inventions that didn’t sell, but that he loved.
“Up until the end, when he was in some pain, he was asking us to start a new business to help people who were in the kind of pain he was experiencing.
“He would prioritize those conversations over getting the help and medication he needed.
“He told us: ‘Keep being curious about everyone you meet along the way. There are no mountains in our way, only paths.’”
Mr. Appel was a fundraiser for JFS, Temple Sinai, Clinica Tepeyac, Firefly Autism, the Yeshiva Toras Chaim and JEWISHcolorado, among other entities.
Survivors are Mr. Appel’s wife Elaine; children David (Terry) Appel, Amy (Daniel) Feldman, Joel (Tiffany) Appel and Linda Appel Lipsius; grandchildren Jordan, Zach, Emily, Danielle (Johnny), Ashley, Dorothy, Eli and Harold; and great-grandchildren Ada and Kara.
Contributions may be made to Temple Sinai, JFS, Clinica Tepeyac or Firefly Autism.
Libby Printz
Longtime Denver resident Libby Printz died on January 18, 2024, at the age of 93. A celebration of life is being planned. Feldman Mortuary is handling the arrangements.
Born in 1930 in Philadelphia, Penn., Mrs. Printz attended Vassar College and graduated with a degree in psychology. In 1961 she married Jerry Printz; they were a couple until Mr. Printz’s death in 2005.
Mrs. Printz was a dedicated professional and volunteer in the Denver community, fundraising for National Jewish Health, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and the University of Colorado Cancer Center, where she retired as director of development.
“Libby was a whirlwind of love and energy who inspired her family to dive full force into life,” her family said. “She inspired us all with her deep intelligence, her sense of humor and her profound interest in the world.
“She taught us so much, most vitally how to love.”
Survivors are Mrs. Printz’s children Amy (Phil) Winterfield, Harry (Vanessa) Printz and Carrie (Wayne) Printz; grandchildren Michael and Andrew Winterfeld, Madeline and Isabel Hicks and Ethan Printz; and brother Robert Frommer.
Contributions may be made to the University of Colorado Cancer Center or the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
