Obituary of Albert Sacks

Albert Sacks, affectionately known as Poppy to his loved ones, passed away peacefully on April 9, 2023, at the age of one hundred. He was the last remaining child of his eleven siblings and was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1922.

During World War II, Poppy became a Marine at the age of eighteen and fought in the Pacific Theater as a member of the famed Second Marine Division. He valiantly fought in the famous battles of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and Saipan, and his division was awarded several presidential citations for their service. Poppy’s bravery was highlighted when a five-hundred-pound mortar shell landed in his foxhole, but fortunately, it was a dud and did not explode.

After returning from the war, Poppy fell in love with Helen Pachanek, whom he married in 1946. Together they had two children, Terry (Sacks) Neugeboren and Jeffrey Sacks. Sadly, Terry predeceased Poppy in 2019. Poppy held numerous jobs in New York City, including being a New York City cab driver, which he held for twenty-five years. It is rumored that at one point, he had Eleanor Roosevelt in his cab.

Poppy was the proud grandfather of Craig Neugeboren and Alyssa Neugeboren, who both live in Denver, Colorado. He is survived by his son, Jeffrey Sacks and Jeffrey’s wife Lynn, his son-in-law Neil Neugeboren, who was his primary caregiver for the last years of his life, as well as Craig’s wife Heather Neugeboren, his grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, Lauren Neugeboren, Nathan Neugeboren, Morgan Neugeboren, and Noah Mortenson.

Poppy led an incredible life filled with bravery, love, and adventure. He will be remembered fondly by his loved ones and will be dearly missed. Albert’s ashes will be buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery, next to his wife Helen who predeceased him in 2011, along with many of our other military heroes.

A service will be held at 10AM, Wednesday, June 21, 2023, Fort Logan National Cemetery; Meet at Staging Area “A” at 9:45AM. A livestream of the service will be available on the Feldman Mortuary YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@FeldmanMortuary/streams