Herman Josephs died peacefully at home with his wife and family at his bedside on December 31, 2017. The world is better for Hank Josephs having been here for his 92 years.
He is survived by his adoring spouse, of 69 years, Ruth Korn Josephs, his 4 loving children and spouses; Dr. Jeffrey Josephs and Dr. Diane Ginsburg Josephs, Sunny and Mark Levy, Jamie Josephs, Roslyn Josephs Ferrell and Dr. Ron Ferrell; his grandchildren, Shira and Gad Sebag, Toby Levy (deceased), Amie and Zach Pfeiffer, William Hammons, Rebecca Ferrell and Joshua Ferrell; six beloved great-grandchildren, many caring nieces, nephews, cousins and lifelong friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Josephs and Rose Katz Josephs and his cherished twin sister, Miriam Josephs Racusin.
He was a proud father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and was, to his final moment here, completely and hopelessly in love with his devoted wife, Ruthie.
Hank was the owner of Josephs’ Economy Store for 50 years where he made Leopard Street a kinder place. We always enjoyed starting our dinner conversations with our dad saying, “A woman walked into the store today…” He truly enjoyed his work and reached out to all who needed a helping hand.
Hank attended Corpus Christi High School and the University of Texas at Austin until he was called into Army service during WWII. He fought bravely from Omaha Beach to The Battle of the Bulge and, at age, 19 was a concentration camp liberator of Dachau concentration camp. Hank was awarded the Bronze Star for bravery and was a Purple Heart recipient. After the war he returned to Corpus Christi to work at Josephs’ Economy Store and in 1948 fell head over heels in love and married the girl of his dreams.
While rearing their four children Hank participated as Scout Troopmaster of Boy Scout Troop 218, Young Judaea youth group leader, B’nai Israel Synagogue congregational president, B’nai Brith president, Jewish Community Center board member, and post-retirement enjoyed volunteering as a reading teacher for the Literary Council. He served as Civitan president and member and was the first General Chairman of Corpus Christi’s Buccaneer Ball in 1954. Hank was deservingly recognized by the then National Council of Christians and Jews with their Humanitarian Award.
In 2017 Hank was honored as a WWII Texas veteran and concentration camp liberator at The Bob Bullock History of Texas Museum in Austin and was honored again at a ceremony in Arlington, Virginia as a Jewish American Veteran/Liberator. His story is chronicled in the book, Tattooed On My Soul – Texas Veterans Remember WWII. In November 2017 he received a medal of honor from The Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission at The State Capitol in Austin, Texas. The medals were awarded by concentration camp survivors.
Hank Josephs was an attentive and loving son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, cousin, and loyal friend. Daddy, a consummate romantic and poet, loved nothing more than being with his family and traveling the world with his true love, Ruthie, while basking in the world’s natural beauty. Hank created a life worth living and lived it well on his own terms.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Simon Wiesenthal Center or Hadassah Hospital at Hadassah. Org.
A Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 at Seaside Funeral Home. Interment to follow at Seaside Memorial Park.
To share words of comfort with the family please visit: www.seasidefuneral.com.

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