Herbert William Maisenbacher's Obituary
Herbert William Maisenbacher Jr. of Gainesville, FL passed away while surrounded by his family on December 1, 2019. He was born on September 23, 1948 in Irvington, NJ to Herbert William and Violet Elizabeth Maisenbacher. He is survived by his loving wife Patricia Helen Maisenbacher; children Herbert William Maisenbacher III (Melissa), Alexis Jo Kahoud (Dustin); grandchildren Herbert William “Will” Maisenbacher IV, Elise Kirsten Maisenbacher, Amalie Klaire Maisenbacher, Roland James Kahoud, Josephine Jane Kahoud; and sister Susan Lynn Rosenbaum (Jerry).
Herb grew up on Maple Avenue spending much of his childhood playing across the street in Irvington Park or arguing with his older sister Susan. He graduated from Irvington High School where he met his future wife, Pat, and made friendships that would last a lifetime. He received a degree in accounting from Farleigh Dickenson University and had a successful career managing law firms in New York City despite the hellish commute from New Jersey.
Pat and Herb married in 1973 and built a life together in Verona, NJ. They lovingly raised their two children Herb III and Alexis in a 1920’s era home that they renovated almost entirely with their own hands and filled with many happy memories. Herb was a talented craftsman who could fix or build almost anything. He demonstrated to his children how to do things the right way with hard work, your best effort, and of course the right tools via his unending household projects. Indeed, few of his family or friends will fail to name something that Herb fixed in their own homes.
The Maisenbacher Family spent much of their summers in their beloved beach house on the Jersey Shore where the number of crabs they caught was only surpassed by the number of memories they made. Herb was a passionate boater, navigating the waters of Barnegat Bay and never failing to get anyone who was willing to try up on waterskis. He was an avid golfer who loved to play with friends and was able to increase his time on the course and decrease his strokes when he and Pat retired to Gainesville, FL.
Herb’s greatest source of pride was his children. He supported Herb III and Alexis in all of their endeavors from coaching rec sports teams to proofreading high school papers to becoming huge fans of both Notre Dame and Boston College. He welcomed their spouses with open arms and tear-filled wedding toasts. When his grandchildren arrived, Gramps splashed in the pool, became the Tickle Monster, snuggled under blankets, and shared chocolate donuts for breakfast. Babci and Gramps were at their happiest taking both their children’s families on incredible trips to Hilton Head, Florida, Disney, Lake Tahoe, and Herb’s 70th Birthday Cruise.
Herb loved people and could strike up a conversation with anyone and anywhere. Although frontotemporal dementia robbed him of his memory and speech, he never forgot the faces and voices of his family and friends. We are confident that he is with loved ones who we previously lost, telling stories to whoever will listen for what may actually be an eternity now.
A celebration of Herb’s life will be held in Gainesville, FL at Pat and Herb’s home on January 11, 2020 with words of remembrance beginning at 3 pm and an open house to follow. Herb’s ashes will be scattered at the Jersey shore this summer and a second celebration of his life will be held in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ at Frank and Nancy Czasczynski’s house on August 15, 2020 with words of remembrance beginning at 3 pm and an open house to follow.
Thank you to Jay Collins for the compassionate care that he provided Herb at home, the staff of Haven Hospice, and so many Haile Plantation friends that helped Herb and Pat enjoy life until the very end. For those who wish, please make donations to Haven Hospice (http://beyourhaven.org/donate) or the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (https://www.theaftd.org/support-aftds-mission/).
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