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Obituary

He put his heart into giving

He gave his time, money and energy to many organizations.

By MARTY CLEAR
Published November 3, 2006

AVILA

In financial circles, Erwin Katz was known as perhaps the leading expert on Florida bank stocks, a man of sharp instincts, deep knowledge and business experience.

In Tampa's altruistic circles, Mr. Katz was known as a man always eager to donate his time, energy and money to worthy endeavors, from the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center to the University of South Florida's College of Business Administration to the Tampa Jewish Federation.

In social circles, Mr. Katz, who died Oct. 24 at age 62 after a two-year battle with cancer, was known as simply an extremely nice guy.

"Everybody liked him," said his wife, Wendy. "He was just a very friendly man, very gregarious. He would walk into a room, any room anywhere, and he'd know half the people there and they'd all come up to talk to him."

Mr. Katz's business acumen and reputation led to him being recruited by a succession of Florida companies. At the time of his death, he worked for Raymond James and Associates, where he had served as senior vice president.

"He loved working," his wife said. "He didn't really have any hobbies. It was his work, his family, his four grandchildren. He stepped down from management with Raymond James two years ago because of the cancer, but he went back to working with clients, which is what he really loved. He never retired."

In fact, Mr. Katz was still actively working at Raymond James weeks before his death, his wife said.

Mr. Katz was born in New Jersey, and it was there, as a teenager, that he met his future wife.

He served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, and he was stationed for a time in Jacksonville. He and his wife liked the city, so after he left the Navy he decided to enroll at Jacksonville University, where he earned his business degree.

Career advancements brought Mr. Katz and his family from Jacksonville to Orlando and finally to Tampa in 1974. He joined Raymond James in the mid 1990s.

He was especially known for being active in Jewish causes and organizations, and earlier this year his rabbi nominated him for a Jewish service award called Tikkum Olam.

"The name Erwin Katz possesses that magic in Tampa," Rabbi Richard Birnholz wrote in his nomination. "There is hardly an organization, association, religious institution, or club, Jewish or non-Jewish, that has not benefited from Erwin's generosity. Without prompting, he has offered great amounts of financial resources to just about every group that has asked. Better still, in almost every case, he has been a lead giver, which has moved others to follow his example."

It wasn't just nonprofit groups that benefitted from being associated with Mr. Katz. He was so well-liked and respected that his recommendations could give a boost to local restaurants (his favorite, Capital Grille, sent flowers and a card signed by all the staff to his hospital rooms and brought food to his family after his death) and if an individual needed business guidance he was happy to proffer it.

"He was a helper," his wife said. "If there was someone who needed his help or his advice he'd give it. That was just the kind of man he was, a helper."

[Last modified November 2, 2006, 11:24:31]