Herman Waldman

Herman Waldman died peacefully Sunday Sept. 11, 2016 at home in St. Pete Beach, FL., with his favorite view of the Bay and the Gulf just outside his window. Born in the Bronx, N.Y. on July 2, 1923, he was the son of Bessie and Jack Waldman, immigrants from Ukraine and Russia, respectively. He was a graduate of City College of New York, Washington University in Saint Louis and Columbia University, where he earned an Ed.D. in psychology. He began his career as a psychoanalyst, having studied under Theodore Reik, a disciple of Sigmund Freud. He was a licensed psychologist with postgraduate training in psychoanalysis and hypnosis. He was on the board of directors of the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis and a member of the American Psychological Association. He had a busy private psychotherapy practice in Manhattan and later moved his practice to Rockland County, N.Y., where he also spent many years as chief psychologist of Rockland Psychiatric Center. He married the former Helga-Maria Bejach in 1954 and together they raised two daughters and built a life in Pearl River, N.Y., before retiring to Florida in 1989. Helga and Herman lived in Gulfport, before moving to St. Pete Beach, fulfilling Herman’s dream to be closer to the Gulf of Mexico. Together, they enjoyed the beach and bicycling and were active in many Tampa Bay area cultural activities, frequently visiting museums and attending concerts. When the Florida Holocaust Museum opened they became enthusiastic supporters and volunteers, a commitment Herman continued even after Helga’s death from breast cancer in 2005. He was lucky enough to find love a second time and he shared his passion for the museum and its work with Lisl Schick, his best friend and life partner for the past several years. He remained extremely active until December 2015, when a stroke forced him to curtail many of his activities. He is survived by two daughters, Hilary Waldman and her husband, Joe O’Brien, of Connecticut and Bev Waldman Rich and her husband, Dr. Harlan Rich, of Rhode Island. He also is survived by six grandchildren who made him very proud: Maxwell, Samantha, Ilan and Cole Rich; and Jill and Liam O’Brien. The family would like to thank Joe O’Brien for staying by Herman’s side during his final days. His quiet compassion and steady support brought comfort to all of us, especially Herman. Funeral services are scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 15 at 1:30 p.m. at the David C. Gross Funeral Home, 6366 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, with burial to follow at Chapel Hill Memorial Park, 12905 Wild Acres Road, Largo. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Florida Holocaust Museum, 55 5th St S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. David C. Gross Funeral Homes, Central Avenue Chapel in St. Petersburg is serving the family. Service Information