Max Garcia Hommel Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

PRINCE OF THE MISFIT TOYS Max Garcia Hommel, 41, of Lancaster, passed away March 18th, 2017. He died of complications from Marfan syndrome. Max also lived with MS for many years. He was surrounded by his parents and close friends as he passed. The only son of Carmen Garcia-Hommel and David Hommel of Lancaster, Max is survived by his three sisters, Rachel, Rebekah, and Laurel, his grandmothers Edith Garcia and Lorraine Abel, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. He was the beloved uncle of Olivia, Amelia, Benjamin, Emily, and Matthew. Max was loved by his many family members and friends scattered throughout the country, and around the world. Gregarious by nature, he made friends easily everywhere he went. He accepted people as they were, and was a loyal and lifelong friend. Max will be desperately missed by so many. A member of the class of ’94 at Penn Manor High School, Max worked in sales at Van Heusen, and then as a manager at Radioshack. He was a great salesman, earning many sales awards. More importantly, he was an excellent manager, assisting his employees in developing their strengths and learning new skills. Many of his former employees joined the circle of “Friends of Max”, staying in touch with him over the years. In 2005, Max and his fiancé, Liz Low, moved to New Orleans where he was among the many who became stranded during Hurricane Katrina. When he and Liz returned to New Orleans the following year, Max worked with the Army Corps of Engineers, developing an algorithm to locate homes that had been washed away in the flood. Although he eventually returned to PA, a part of him never left NOLA. After moving back to Lancaster in 2008 Max began to work with his parents in managing and opening the original location of Carmen & David’s Creamery. In 2011 Max experienced his first bout of illness from Marfan syndrome. After a lengthy recovery, he continued working part-time at the Creamery. In 2014 Max was rushed to the Cleveland Clinic to undergo emergency surgery for his second incidence with Marfan. Though he never fully recovered again, he was able to resume limited activities after several follow-up surgeries. Max was a self-taught technology whiz. He served as “IT Guy” for his parents and many of his friends. Max’s knowledge of technology allowed him to volunteer with Vision Corps, helping vision impaired clients learn to use technological devices to assist with their daily living. Even in the face of his declining health, he managed to rally again and again to be there for friends and family, emotionally if not physically. He derived great pleasure from preparing and serving food to others. He loved to cook, and was known for his awesome Thanksgiving turkey dinners, which he shared with as many friends as possible. He continued to prepare meals for friends and family when he could. According to his wishes Max was an organ donor through The Gift of Life, providing new corneas for the vision impaired, skin for burn victims, and bone marrow for pediatric cancer patients. Max brought a joy to this world for 41 years that could not be matched. He was a gentle giant of a man. His memory continues on Facebook at Max Hommel: Recuerdos – Memories. There will be no viewing. A memorial celebrating Max’s life will be held at The Groff Family Funeral and Cremation Services, Inc. , 528 West Orange Street (corner of West Orange and Pine Streets), Lancaster, PA at 1:00 pm, Sunday, April 9, 2017. Parking will be available at Fred F. Groff, Inc., 234 W. Orange St., Lancaster, PA and shuttle transportation will also be available. Casual attire is requested. Max loved music, and New Orleans in particular, and so, immediately following the service, a New Orleans style second line march to The Lancaster Dispensing Company will take place. Relatives, friends, and acquaintances are invited to attend the ceremony and/or the wake at DipCo. Please bring memories and stories to share. Come prepared to laugh and cry, march and dance, and drink and eat as Max would have wanted. In lieu of flowers or gifts of food, the family requests that donations be made to either Music For Everyone at http://musicforeveryone.net/support/support-mfe/ or to the Marfan Foundation at https://www.marfan.org/about/marfan. Information and online condolences may be sent to www.thegroffs.com.

Max Garcia Hommel

March 18, 2017