Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Sol Henry Ashkenaze was born to Sophie and Louis Ashkenaze in 1924, in Des Moines, Iowa. His parents were from Warsaw, Poland. His father moved to the United States just before their first child, Manny, was born in 1913. Louis worked in Iowa and sent money home regularly to support the family, until they could relocate. Eight years later, they had saved enough money for Sophie and Manny to join him. Their second child, Mildred, was born in 1921, followed by Sol in 1924. Louis worked as a watch repairman and he owned a luggage shop. Sophie was a stay-at-home mom to their three children. The kids grew up in a conservative Jewish household. As it was before the time of television, the family listened to radio for entertainment. Sol enjoyed listening to music delivered a capella and to the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. He was very familiar with most famous opera pieces. When Sol was five, the family moved to Fort Dodge, Iowa. Sol was athletic and liked to play baseball. He graduated from Fort Dodge High School in 1942.

In 1943, Sol was drafted into the United States Army. He served for 37 months in the Army, as he earned the rank of gunner corporal in a 155-millimeter howitzer battalion. He served in the ETO and was honorably discharged in 1946. Although he wasn't on the front lines, Sol saw combat during World War II. He didn't talk about his experiences at great length, but he discussed being stationed in France and developed a strong interest in the French language.

After the war, he returned home and excelled in further education at the University of Wisconsin. While at the University, he was part of the men's chorus. He also played on the collegiate baseball team and won the NCAA Championship for 3-cushion billiards. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in French and returned to Paris for a year to study at the Sorbonne. When he returned to Iowa, he earned his teaching credentials. He started teaching math and French at Fort Dodge High School and met another teacher named Helen. They fell in love. In 1955, the couple eloped and married in Blue Earth, Minnesota. They taught in different parts of Iowa and lived separately for the first year as newlyweds. But, they made sure to spend holidays together. After Helen caught attention of educational leaders in California, she was hired by the Long Beach Unified School District. She moved into an apartment on Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach. After finishing his work in Iowa, Sol relocated, earning a job at Hoover Junior High School and later as the Chairman of Foreign Languages at Lakewood High School. Hugh Osmera, Sol’s colleague, remembers that Sol was in the forefront of mentoring other foreign language teachers in the application of new ideas and concepts in the field of language instruction. He attended and presented a number of seminars relating to new techniques. Sol used a famous French expression from Louis the fourteenth in class --"Après moi le deluge." Translation: "After me the flood." In other words, after I'm gone everything in society will go to the dogs, utter chaos.

In 1956, the couple bought their family home in Long Beach, where they lived the rest of their days. Helen and Sol were traditional parents to their two sons David and Bob. Helen got up early, made breakfast for Sol and the boys, and packed lunches for the boys. Sol got up early for work and he'd be home by 4 pm every day. As lifelong teachers, they were always home in the evenings and shared dinner meals together. In the evenings, Sol corrected school papers and he was always very conscientious about his job. With time off in between school semesters, the family always enjoyed nice vacations during breaks or over the summer. There was a memorable one-week vacation to Hawaii over a Christmas break. Everyone wore loud Hawaiian shirts in orange and red. It was great fun. Another year, they hopped into the family Pontiac and Sol drove the family up the California Coast and up into Oregon, Washington, and into Canada. In 1973, they rented their home to another family, as Sol took a sabbatical from teaching. Helen, Sol and the boys spent a full semester touring Western Europe, creating wonderful memories. As a sidetrip to that vacation, Sol led his family further eastward to Israel, where he was able to meet up again with his mother Sophie, who had earlier decided to spend the rest of her life in the Holy land.

Sol was a student of the game of baseball as he studied the rulebook and loved the intricacies of the sport. As a result, he coached Connie Mack and American Legion League teams, and later, became an umpire in men's baseball and softball leagues. These were serious players and they took their game seriously, but Sol always kept a cool head even though it was a high stress position. He even had to kick guys out of the game from time to time. He shared his love of baseball with the boys and taught the boys how to throw a ball and how to bat. As coach of Bob's little league team one season, he stored the team equipment at home during the off-season. One morning Sol found Bob dressed up in the catcher's gear having fun. He took that moment and taught Bob how to play that position, but told him as coach, it wouldn't be fair to the team to make his son the catcher automatically, he'd have to try out for it and win the job. By the time the season rolled around, sure enough, thanks to Sol's love as a father and knowledge of the game, Bob made the team as their starting catcher. Even if he wasn't their coach, when the boys played ball, he never missed attending their baseball, basketball, or flag football games. He gave them a love of the thinking man's games, including bridge, and he taught them the value of good sportsmanship. Sol loved watching sports with his sons. He enjoyed cheering for the underdog, and usually, if given his choice, he'd choose to be a fan of the teams or athletes that displayed good moral character, not the flashier, more talented teams that were common fan favorites. His favorite teams included the NBA's Boston Celtics and the NY/San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He always liked it when the Giants played the boys' favorite team, the Dodgers. He took the boys to their first Dodgers game. It was against the Atlanta Braves and they saw Hank Aaron play, creating wonderful memories. Sol loved sports, both athletic and intellectual. He achieved a personal goal when he reached the status of Master Bridge Player. Helen and Sol played bridge with couples groups.

As dad, Sol always helped the boys with Indian Guides and the Pinewood Derby, as they built their own cars. He was very involved as he had a great influence on the lives of Dave and Bob. He encouraged a strong work ethic by giving the boys responsibility for chores. He was also a man of his word and if he said something he always followed through. Sol taught the boys the value of the dollar and showed them how you had to earn it. He was a father who was teaching his sons at every turn.

Helen and Sol loved music and as a result, both David and Bob played instruments at home. The family didn't go out and spend money lavishly, but enjoyed spending time playing games together. Sol cooked on the barbeque for the 4th of July while Mom and the boys took their turns hand-cranking homemade ice cream. Then when it got too difficult, Dad was the hero because he was strong enough to crank the handle all the way 'til it was ready. Sol loved eating ice cream anytime and anyplace. While most people measure their serving portions of ice cream by the 'scoop' or 'dip', Sol's unit of measurement was the 'slab'-- he would meticulously open up a whole half gallon container, and with a long chef's knife, slice a big solid block of ice cream for himself. It made no difference to him that the block of ice cream he just 'carved out' didn't fit into the traditional-sized ice cream bowl we had. Helen would playfully make fun of Sol when he licked his bowl clean at the end.

In the evenings after his work was done or after reading one of the spy novels he liked reading, he would venture into the kitchen and reach for the old-time popcorn popper. The boys would be impressed watching Dad pour the kernels into the palm of his hand without the need for measuring. If the boys were doing their homework in their rooms and heard the popcorn kernels hit the hot oil, they ran to the kitchen for a bowl. The truth is, Dad made two servings at a time. One for Mom and the boys, and one for himself. When asked to explain, Sol told Bob, "When you really like something, even if you're full, you can keep on eating til there's none left!"

Sol worked hard, but the family didn't live luxuriously as he was careful with his money. There were always special treats and events along the way. Even though Helen and Sol didn't go to Las Vegas often, they enjoyed it over the years. They let the boys go to "Circus, Circus" before Las Vegas attempted to expand to the family market. The boys remember there were 5,000 pinball machines and Sol gave them each $5 to go have fun. Sol found success by playing craps, while Helen played nickel slot machines. They always played with a budget.

A proud father, he was happy when his sons married and had children. When Bob lived with his wife, Rosy, in Tijuana, Mexico, Helen and Sol made a point to visit regularly, despite the challenges that created. They'd park on the United States side, walk across the border, and Bob picked them up. They knew it was important to be a part of their lives and made the effort. In fact, Helen and Sol went to the hospital every time their grandchildren were born whether in the United States or the American hospital in Mexico. They were always among the first to hold the new additions to the family. As "Grandpa," Sol was terrific. He liked reading to the grandchildren and took an interest in their education and the books they were reading.

Sol retired in 1986 after 30 years as an educator. Helen and Sol enjoyed many years of traveling in retirement. On every tour, cruise or vacation, they sent postcards from every destination. They traveled on several trips overseas, including Russia and China. Sol always took great care of himself. He rode his bicycle 15 miles a day, every day, into his 70s. He had a nice bicycle and always wore a helmet. He liked keeping track of the miles he rode on his bike. With many favorites in life, Sol liked listening to vocal music and special harmonizing, such as barbershop quartets. For Sol's 80th birthday, David hired a barbershop quartet. The quartet invited Sol to sing with them and he loved every moment of performing with the group. Sol was a wonderful teacher his entire life. Most recently, he liked sharing life's lessons by teaching his sons how to save money and advising them on little ways to get through Christmas without breaking the bank. He clipped articles into his 80s with tips on how to save money or parenting tips. He liked tracking his car mileage and his own coupon savings and passed tips onto others. He was so very proud that he was able to amass a little nest egg for his own family by being careful and liked helping his sons do the same for their families.

A few weeks after his wife, Helen, passed away, Sol passed away peacefully at his home in Long Beach. His advice would be to make wise choices in life, make sure the kids get a good education and teach them right from wrong.

His loving wife, Helen, of 53 years and his brother Manny, preceded Sol in death. He is loved and remembered by his son David and daughter-in-law Mary Kaye; son Robert and daughter-in-law Rosy; grandchildren Rosa Elvia, Kerry Anne, Ruby, and Joshua; and sister Mildred Kohn.

For Helen Ashkenaze's online memorial visit www.celebrantpam.com/memorials/helenashkenaze.html.