Obituary of Max Appel

It is with great sadness that we inform you that Max Appel passed away on Saturday evening, January 27, 2024, at the age of 92.

Max and his beloved wife of 65 years, Elaine, were among the earliest members of Temple Sinai in 1967. Max Appel died peacefully, surrounded by his loving family. In addition to Elaine, Max is survived by his adoring children David (Terry) Appel, Amy (Daniel) Feldman, Joel (Tiffany) Appel and Linda Appel Lipsius; and cherished grandchildren Jordan, Zach, Emily, Danielle (Johnny), Ashley, Dorothy, Eli and Harold and greatgrandchildren Ada and Kara.

Born in Denver in 1932, Max was raised and grew up on the West Side where many of his favorite memories were formed. He attended North High School and went on to graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder. Max was an innovator from the very beginning. Whether it was forming his own fraternity or designing an innovative space heater, Max was always creating something! 

In 1986, Max developed an environmentally safe furniture polish in his garage. He incorporated Valencia orange oil and named the creation Orange Glo. In 1992, Max and his kids formed Orange Glo International, which included OxiClean and several other creations that became household names across Europe, Asia, and North America. By the time Max and his family sold the company in 2006 they had developed a lineup of over 25 products, including Oxi-Clean Stain Remover, Kaboom Bathroom Cleaner, and Orange Glo Wood Cleaner and Polish. In addition to Max’s business successes, he was a philanthropist and pillar of our community. 

Whether raising money by supporting hospitals, JFS, Temple Sinai, Clinica Tepeyac, Firefly Autism, the Yeshiva, JEWISHcolorado and many other organizations, he knew the importance of giving back. 

The funeral service will be held on Tuesday, January 30 at Temple Sinai at 1:00pm. The service will be LiveStreamed and the link is: https://sinaidenver.org/livestream/  
The interment will immediately follow at the Emanuel Cemetery.

The family will welcome condolence visits at the home of David and Terry Appel (5 Lynn Road, Englewood, CO 80113) from 4:00-6:30pm, with the minyan service at 5:00pm.

Contributions to: Temple Sinai, JFS, Clinica Tepeyac, or Firefly Autism will be greatly appreciated.