Titanic Post

I met Warren almost forty years ago at the Nuremberg Airport. I was working for Pan Am and he was taking flying lessons at the local flying club. Warren and his beautiful and bright wife, Herta, owned a Gasthaus in the nearby town of Fuerth. A year or so after we met, they moved to Long Island, Warren attended NYU and Herta started a successful beauty salon.

In about 1976, they returned to Germany and Warren took a job at the Frankfurt Airport where I had been working the past four years. While Herta was looking after their child, Chantel, Warren was teaching English and instructing airport workers on the finer points of loading and unloading commercial aircraft.

Eventually Warren became involved in an up and coming trade union and went on to be on the workers council and a member of the board of directors at the company that operated the airport, representing the rights of airport workers (Yes, they do that there.) There he caused agitation and consternation among the established leadership much to the joy and benefit of the employees. He was also an accomplished and well known magician in Germany. In the meantime I had returned to my beloved New Mexico.
In 2004 Warren and Herta visited his lifelong friend, who had moved to Arizona from Long Island. Warren and Herta liked the desert and climate so much, they decided to move there. Shortly thereafter they bought a house in Mesa, Az. I was able to visit them there on several occasions and Warren had planned to visit me sometime this month. I even cleaned out a room for him to stay in.

Herta called several days ago and announced that Warren had died of heart failure on St. Valentines Day. I think he was 67 years old. He played tennis and water volleyball and seemed to be in good health. Warren was a good friend and a great man to argue with. I hope he had a pleasant death and I will miss him dearly. My heart goes out to Herta and Chantel.