Obituary: Guenther Herman Hecht

Guenther Herman Hecht, 95, of Alpharetta, Ga., passed away on June 15, 2023. Born in Bielefeld, Germany, his family came as refugees prior to WWII. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy after graduating high school and went on to study at NYU. In the later years of this career in retail, he became a vice president of Rich’s Department Store which is what brought his family to Georgia.

After retirement, he founded a non-profit food rescue, Second Helpings, in Hilton Head, S.C. It has collected over three million pounds of food and donated it to charities throughout the low country. Then, in 2004, he started another Second Helpings, in Atlanta, which has been just as successful. Guenther loved traveling the world with his wife, bike riding, and swimming.

He is predeceased by his parents, Leo and Herta Hecht, brother, Arthur Hecht, and son, Daniel Hecht. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Louise Hecht, son, Laurence Hecht, grandchildren, Mallori (Curtis) Potts and Amanda (JonEric Krye) Hecht, and great-grandchild, Calvin Potts. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Temple Sinai or Second Helpings Atlanta. The graveside funeral was held on Tuesday, June 20 at CrestLawn Cemetery, Rabbi Brad Levenberg officiating, with a gathering of remembrance at Temple Sinai. Arrangements made by Dressler’s, 770-451-4999.

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