William Lebrecht Obituary

William "Bill" Harris Lebrecht passed away September 23, 2023, in Emmett, ID He was born on October 9, 1923, in Berlin, Germany Named Horst he changed his name to William when he arrived in this country in 1945 He landed on Ellis Island a Jewish refugee from war torn Germany An uncle sponsored him allowing him to come into the country When he first got to the USA he landed in the hospital, his body not remembering how to eat after living on rats, grass and garbage while running and hiding for his life from the Nazis He learned to read and write English while working cutting out clothing patterns Back then, they used newspapers as patterns He read the newspaper from front to back all of his life He studied and became a US citizen Bill met his wife Anne on a blind date in 1955 She was only 17 and he 29 No one thought it would work! They were married 61 years until her death in 2016 He was an avid tennis player well into his 60's and then took up golf Bill loved the ocean, watching sports, and loved his family Bill was always ready to joke around He loved poker and going to the casinos He continued to play blackjack and gin rummy until his recent illness He was fun to be around surprising his children with Disneyland trips and Easter treasure hunts Bill lived at Meadowview Independent Living for the last 4 years The family would like to thank the staff there They are the best, most caring people Dad was going to run away to Vegas and marry all the girls! (As soon as they left their husbands!) He is survived by his two daughters and their spouses; Riki and (Ira) Kucheck, Nancy and (Ed) Arbogast, two grandchildren; Drew and (Lathy) Ostrowski and Marissa Kucheck; and two great granddaughters, Ame and Avi Ostrowski He only had 11 more days to hit 100! Bill, Daddy, Pops, Grandpa, Great Great, will be sorely missed In a private ceremony, Bill's ashes will be scattered at sea to join his wif To to the family or in memory of William "Bill" Harris Lebrecht, please