Obituarty

Paul Gans, age 88, of Brooklyn, New York, passed away on Sunday, November 7, 2021. Paul was born May 1, 1933 in Chicago, Illinois to Marion and David Gans. He died in New York City, where he had made his home for close to 60 years.

Paul Gans worked as a professor of chemistry at New York University for 50 of those years, a professional life of which he was very proud. He was a particularly dedicated and gifted teacher. Later in his career, he followed his love of history to medieval technology, where he made several scholarly contributions.

After Chicago, Paul lived with his parents, brother Daniel Jeremy, and beloved dog Darby in New York, Philadelphia, and Cleveland, where his parents remained throughout their lives. Paul was a proud graduate of Ohio State University, and then Case Western Reserve where he received his doctorate. At Case, he met his wife, Gail Lois Waldman. They married in 1959, possibly when Paul became scared that he was about to lose a bet made the day they met, that Gail would be married before she received her undergraduate degree. Together they moved to Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, where Gail completed her undergraduate studies and Paul completed his postdoctoral work. Their next move was to New York City for Paul’s position at NYU. Paul’s return to New York was driven, in part, by his wish to be with his extended family, something he highly valued. Together, Paul and Gail had two children, Susan Emily Gans and Abbey Gans Mather. He is also survived by his son-in-law, Victor Mather, and three grandchildren, Eliezer (21), Ezra (18), and Josephine (14), as well as his brother Daniel and sisters-in-law Rena Gans and Joann Burger, niece Laura, nephews Kenny, Michael, and Eric, their families, and many dear cousins and friends.

A funeral service for Paul will be held Friday, November 12, 2021 from 1-2 PM at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 180 West 76th Street, New York, NY 10023.