On Nov. 13, Harvey Gussow of Silver Spring, Maryland, passed away, two days shy of his 60th wedding anniversary to the love of his life, Etta Blagman Gussow. Harvey was the son of the late Emanuel and Martha Gussow. Born in Manhattan, New York, he grew up in the Grand Concourse section of the Bronx, graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1960. It was on a fateful day in the summer of 1962 that while working at Alexander’s Department Store, he and two other co-workers spotted Etta shopping. After winning a coin toss, he approached Etta and after an interesting start to dating, they both realized that theirs was a match made in heaven and were married on Nov. 15, 1964. Their cherished union brought them three sons, Karl, Jason and Mike.
As Mike stated it best, “Dad lived his life for his family. He celebrated with us through all of our good times and agonized with us during the tough times. He was a complex person as well: funny, but impatient; lovable, but irascible. While sage fatherly advice wasn’t really his strong point, his lessons of hard work, loyalty, and commitment to family were taught to us through his actions every day.” Harvey taught his sons by the example he set. There was not a job he wasn’t willing to take, whether it was pumping gas, delivering The New York Times, or working as a waiter and cashier to provide for his family. He got to see all three of his sons graduate from college and be successful on their own. Harvey was able to make that personal connection with people. He accepted others, no matter their social status, or background. This connection allowed him to move into a career in sales, first selling computer supplies for others before opening his own business in New York and Arizona.
Harvey loved music and cars. He embraced the music of the big band, doo-wop and early rock ‘n’ roll era and WCBS-FM was on the car radio constantly when the family lived in New York. His love of cars and the technological and mechanical aspects of them led to his “retirement job” of selling Nissans at a local dealership in Arizona for several years. As the years continued, Harvey was a loving grandfather to his three grandchildren, Seth, Natalie, and Nick. He enjoyed hearing about the adventures of his grandchildren, whether it was Boy Scouts, softball or soccer games while constantly reminding us to remember the important things in life.
Harvey is survived by his beloved wife Etta, sons, daughters-in law, and son-in-law; Karl (Anne) Gussow, Jason (David Brooks) Gussow and Michael (Laurie) Gussow and his grandchildren Seth, Natalie, and Nicholas Gussow. Memorial contributions in Harvey’s name can be made to the American Heart Association.