Passing of Lawrence S. Wizel
Lawrence S. Helen Keller Services mourns the passing of its former Board Trustee and Chairman, Lawrence S. Brooks on January 31st. Mr. Wizel was first elected to the Board in 1985, elected Chairman in 1996 and became Trustee Emeritus in 2009.
February 1, 2018
Lawrence S. Wizel, 74, died Wednesday, January 31, 2018 at home in Houston, following a long, brave battle with cancer.
Larry leaves his wife of 50 years, Rona (Resnick) Wizel; his son, Neil Wizel and his daughter-in-law Jennifer Wizel; his grandchildren, Henry, Grace, Anna and Camille; his brother Gary Wizel, and many close friends and former colleagues.
Born and raised in New York, the son of Abraham and Raye Wizel, he was a lifelong resident of Long Island, New York and, since 2008, split his time between New York and Houston, Texas where his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren reside.
Upon graduation from Far Rockaway High School in 1961, he attended Michigan State University, graduating in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. Shortly after graduating college, Larry met Rona Resnick and they were married in 1968.
Directly following his college graduation, Larry joined Deloitte as a Staff Accountant. He would work at Deloitte for over 40 years, more than 25 of them as a Partner, eventually retiring from the firm in 2006. During his time at Deloitte he held a variety of senior leadership positions within a number of practice areas and developed particular expertise as it relates to capital markets and M&A transactions. Larry took enormous pride in his career and his time at Deloitte but most importantly relished the friendships he developed over his more than 50 years in business. Following his retirement from Deloitte he served as an advisor to a specialty accounting firm and on the boards of several public and private companies.
Over the course of his adult life, Larry dedicated significant time and personal resources to a variety of philanthropic endeavors, serving on the boards of several charities including The American Jewish Committee – New York Chapter, Friends of the Arts, and Helen Keller Services for the Blind where he served for many years as Chairman.
An avid golfer, Larry was a longtime member of Glen Head Country Club in New York and, later in life, joined gun clubs in both New York and Houston after having taken up skeet shooting. Larry also indulged in many other pursuits including travel, fly fishing and collecting electric trains and antique toy soldiers. However, Larry’s greatest pleasure was tending to his grandchildren – sharing his stories and collections and doing frequent carpool runs; his broad smile revealed his deep joy when they called him by name, “Papa.”
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Helen Keller Services for the Blind at www.helenkeller.org or to Houston Methodist Hospital at www.houstonmethodist.org
A funeral service will be held in Houston on Friday, February 2, 2018 at 2:00pm at Congregation Beth Israel Memorial Garden at Woodlawn Cemetery, 1101 Antoine Drive.
A memorial service will be held in New York City on Thursday, February 8, 2018 at 2:00pm at The Harmonie Club, 4 East 60th Street.
