- Bequests
Eric Schmier z’l spent his life caring for others in a quiet and unassuming way. In his childhood Eric connected to the spirit of philanthropy through Judaism. Raised in a Detroit suburb, his parents started the first reform temple outside the city in their basement. It was the center of Jewish life for many in their community, including Eric, who developed his mother’s dedication to serving others.
Eric Schmier z’l
As his brother Ken recalled fondly, Eric was a very special human being who sought out deeply personal ways serving others.
Ken would know. Save for the years while Eric was in college and serving in the United States Navy, the two were never apart for long. They shared a room growing up, bunked together at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, bought neighboring houses in Larkspur, and ran a real estate business together. During Eric’s final days battling lung cancer, he moved into the home Ken shares with his wife, Lisa, until passing away last July.
An Experience Volunteering Leads to a Bequest to Help Others
As an adult Eric was always looking for ways to make a meaningful contribution. In the early 1990s he signed up to be a volunteer English conversation partner with a Jewish refugee family from the former Soviet Union. Through the program Eric met Aleksander Sobsovich, who came to the Bay Area in 1989 with his wife and son.
They became much more than English conversation partners. Aleksander recalls, “Eric was a nice, nice man. When he came we knew no English and had no one to help us.” Eric assisted Aleksander in landing an engineering job at a tech company and continued to visit the Sobsovich family for years, from giving them expertise on how to fill out tax forms to celebrating birthdays.
Although his family didn’t know that Eric had chosen to leave a bequest to JFCS until after his passing, it came as no surprise, considering how much the opportunity to help a family like the Sobsoviches had meant to him. His brother Ken adds, “Eric was my friend, and my partner and guardian. It was a tremendous privilege to have him as a brother.”
Now, just as Eric made an important difference in others’ lives during his lifetime, his legacy will have a profound impact in our community for years to come.
If you would like to discuss a bequest to JFCS or other ways to leave a legacy to our community, please contact Barbara Farber at [email protected], 415-449-3858.