Melvin N. Reiss

Melvin N. Reiss

Melvin N. Reiss of Naples, Florida, formerly of St. Louis, died January 26, 2015 at age 87. He is predeceased by his first wife, Evelyn Reiss; his parents, David and Sarah Reiss; his sisters, Rose Ofstein and Miriam Wentzel; and his brother, Ron Reiss. He leaves behind his loving wife, Marcelle Reiss; his children, Howard Reiss (Mickey), Mindy Nitkin (Paul), Celia Reiss (David), Leah Feingold (Jay); and his stepchildren Lynn Fox (Ellen) and Gina Cannon (Tim) and all of their families. Melvin was a WW II veteran, having proudly served his country in occupied Germany. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a Master’s in Business Administration from Washington University. He took great joy in his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, often proudly telling stories of their accomplishments. Mel is remembered as warm loving and philanthropic, taking great pride in serving as B’nai B’rith of St. Louis’ president and in his many years as a math tutor for students in need of his help in St. Louis and in Naples. He received joy and comfort in his Jewish faith and often expressed that his favorite book was the Torah. Mel loved to travel, taking his first wife Evelyn and his children on trips that covered all 48 states and later traveling with his second wife Marcelle to Italy, Russia, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Alaska among other destinations. He was an avid bridge player and easily picked up the nuances of Mah Jong. A graveside service was held on Friday January 30 at 2 p.m. at Palm Royale Cemetary in Naples.