In Memory

Hy Sockel



 
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02/24/22 04:11 PM #1    

Robert Oberst

After four bouts of cancer, Hy died on Feb, 2, 2022.

Obituary: Hy Sockel Obituary - Cleveland Heights, OH (dignitymemorial.com)

After serving for four years during the Viet Nam War, Hy eventually obtained his BS, MS and Ph.D in business systems and served as a prof. at IU and Youngstown State.

   In our 20s, Hy and I had numerous adventures together. Even though we both graduated in ‘66, we came to know each other in our large extended group at the Agora. In the summer of ’68, Hy and I had a ball working at Fagans, the flagship of the burgeoning Flat—a businessmen’s restaurant at noon; working man’s dive-bar by day; Irish college hangout by night; and a suburban, sing-along tavern during weekends. 

   We both decided to transfer to Miami to major in Systems at the same time. Under an 1835 house, they had added a garage and a basement with 3-6 foot walls circa 1900, which we converted into an apartment. We arrived two weeks before school started to build our 5-room, 0-bath abode, but the conversions had not been done—there was no electricity or water. Hy performed as the master carpenter/electrician building the walls. I was his assistant and painter.

   Towards the end of the quarter, all male students lost their 2-S status. For the first lottery, we went uptown and ordered a pitcher of beer. We had missed the first 40 numbers and as they called out the numbers, one-one—100…200…etc., we felt better. By the time they reached 300, though, we were worried that we were both in that first batch. I ended up with 345 and Hy with 27, which meant he would be drafted in January and heading to Nam.

   After much soul searching, he joined the Coast Guard for 4 years. Following my graduation, we drove for 57-hours straight to San Francisco in his dilapidated Saab. After he and wife Donna went back East, I hitched down to Big Sur and had some life altering adventures back in the redwoods. Despite all the setbacks, Hy completed his BS, Masters and PhD.

   Hy lost his seven-year-old daughter Leah in his twenties. Then contracted cancer in his 30s. He is survived by his wife Sally and two children, Staphanie and Brian, three younger brothers and a sister, all of whom graduated from Heights.

Hy, you will be sorely missed!


02/25/22 11:46 AM #2    

Russ Scarvelli

From on Vet to another:RIP
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