Gerard Andre Paroz
(1924 - 2018)
Devoted husband of Ella. Proud father of Ariane Greenwald, Pierre (Gale) Paroz, Catherine (Blaine) Kelley, Monique (Mike) Anderson, Michelle (Mike) Clark, and Rene (Sandy) Paroz. Adored grandfather of Jeremy Clark, Stephan Clark, and Amber (Jeremy) Hassman, Danielle (Sean) Cobble and Nicholas Greenwald, Jeffrey (Melissa) Henderson and Joshua (Stephanie) Henderson, Kelly (Mike) Willett, Alexia (Steve) Young and Troy (Sara) Anderson, Andrew Paroz, Gabrielle Paroz, Joel Paroz, Sophia Paroz, Danielle Paroz, and Natalie Paroz, Jessica (Nick) Pridonoff, Wade (Nicole) Paroz, Logan Paroz, and Madeline Paroz. Great-grandfather of 12.
Surrounded by his loving family, Gerard Paroz, 93, passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018, following complications from battling pneumonia and influenza. Gerard was born in the Jura Mountains of northwestern Switzerland. He immigrated to NYC for work in the machine tool industry in 1953, and was joined by his fiancée, Ella, the following year, when they married on Long Island. Gerard soon accepted a position with the Gruen Watch Company in Cincinnati in 1956. His boss and mentor at Gruen encouraged his entrepreneurial talents and mechanical engineering skills. By 1957, he opened American Micro Products, a Swiss precision machine-tool business, in Blue Ash. The company grew quickly by providing instrumentation for aerospace, automotive, medical and technological use, and moved to Pleasant Ridge, and then finally to its present location in Batavia, OH. Gerard became a proud citizen of the United States in 1958. He was selected to be Honorary Consul for Switzerland for the tri-state, from 1970-1994, and was an active member of the Consular Corp of Cincinnati. The Parozs were longtime members of the Ohio Society, were charter members and office holders in the Swiss Benevolent Association of Cincinnati, and launched the Paroz Family Foundation which has made educational scholarships and other charitable donations available to local individuals and organizations for decades. For over 40 years, Gerard and Ella were devoted to the arts in Cincinnati as season ticket holders and sponsors of Cincinnati Symphony, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, Playhouse in the Park, and Broadway series. Gerard served in the Swiss military as part of a ski patrol unit during WWII, and continued his passion for skiing through his 86th year. He and his wife have been world travelers, but they were particularly proud of national treasures here in the US, often filling the family station wagon with their six kids (and always a few Swiss cousins) for many a 3-week tour, dragging a pop-up camper in tow. Gerard's and his family's faith in Christ were extremely important to him. His life and faith were greatly impacted by Lee Strobel's book, A Case for Christ. Gerard was a longtime resident of Hyde Park and more recently, Indian Hill. A Celebration of Life will be held on Sat., 1/27/18, from 9:00-11:00 AM, followed by a Memorial Service from 11:00-12:00 at Montgomery Community Church, 11251 Montgomery Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45249. Graveside service will be private for immediate family only. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Cincinnati, 4310 Cooper Rd., Cincinnati, OH, 45242.
Published in The Cincinnati Enquirer on Jan. 25, 2018
Surrounded by his loving family, Gerard Paroz, 93, passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018, following complications from battling pneumonia and influenza. Gerard was born in the Jura Mountains of northwestern Switzerland. He immigrated to NYC for work in the machine tool industry in 1953, and was joined by his fiancée, Ella, the following year, when they married on Long Island. Gerard soon accepted a position with the Gruen Watch Company in Cincinnati in 1956. His boss and mentor at Gruen encouraged his entrepreneurial talents and mechanical engineering skills. By 1957, he opened American Micro Products, a Swiss precision machine-tool business, in Blue Ash. The company grew quickly by providing instrumentation for aerospace, automotive, medical and technological use, and moved to Pleasant Ridge, and then finally to its present location in Batavia, OH. Gerard became a proud citizen of the United States in 1958. He was selected to be Honorary Consul for Switzerland for the tri-state, from 1970-1994, and was an active member of the Consular Corp of Cincinnati. The Parozs were longtime members of the Ohio Society, were charter members and office holders in the Swiss Benevolent Association of Cincinnati, and launched the Paroz Family Foundation which has made educational scholarships and other charitable donations available to local individuals and organizations for decades. For over 40 years, Gerard and Ella were devoted to the arts in Cincinnati as season ticket holders and sponsors of Cincinnati Symphony, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, Playhouse in the Park, and Broadway series. Gerard served in the Swiss military as part of a ski patrol unit during WWII, and continued his passion for skiing through his 86th year. He and his wife have been world travelers, but they were particularly proud of national treasures here in the US, often filling the family station wagon with their six kids (and always a few Swiss cousins) for many a 3-week tour, dragging a pop-up camper in tow. Gerard's and his family's faith in Christ were extremely important to him. His life and faith were greatly impacted by Lee Strobel's book, A Case for Christ. Gerard was a longtime resident of Hyde Park and more recently, Indian Hill. A Celebration of Life will be held on Sat., 1/27/18, from 9:00-11:00 AM, followed by a Memorial Service from 11:00-12:00 at Montgomery Community Church, 11251 Montgomery Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45249. Graveside service will be private for immediate family only. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Cincinnati, 4310 Cooper Rd., Cincinnati, OH, 45242.
Published in The Cincinnati Enquirer on Jan. 25, 2018
