Allen Rezak, formerly of Bayside, died on July 3 of cardiac arrest. He was 91.
Born in Czestochowa, Poland, Rezak and his brother, Irving, were the only members of their family to survive the Holocaust. At least five siblings and both of his parents perished in the genocide.
Rezak immigrated to Chicago in 1949 and settled in Milwaukee the following year. He and Irving founded A-1 Scrap Metal, which they owned for more than 25 years before selling to the Peltz Group Inc. and retiring.
“He was the kind of guy that helped people who where less fortunate, but not the type of guy that talked about it,” said his son, Michael Rezak, M.D., Ph.D., of Chicago. “Whether it was financially, or if they needed some food, or a job…that was one of the things that he did a lot.”
Rezak was a former member of the New American Club, Congregation Agudas Achim on Burleigh and later of Beth El Ner Tamid Synagogue.
He moved to Deerfield, Ill., in 1998 following the death of his wife of more than 50 years, Celia Rezak (nee Dambe).
Rezak is further survived by daughter Eileen Rezak of Deerfield, Ill.; brother Irving Rezak of Los Angeles; and two grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements were handled by the Jewish Community Funeral Home. Graveside services were officiated by Rabbi Baruch Comrov at Agudas Achim Cemetery on July 6.
The family appreciates memorial contributions to the Parkinson’s Disease Research Society, 2100 Pfingsten Rd., Suite B205-A, Glenview, Ill., 60026.
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