Michael "Mickey" Kor

 Michael "Mickey" Kor, 95, passed away peacefully in his sleep on October 19, 2021, at Witham Memorial Hospital, Extended Care Facility, Lebanon, Indiana. He is survived by his son, Dr. Alex Kor of Carmel, Indiana; daughter, Rina Kor of Terre Haute, Indiana; nephew, Robert of Connecticut; nephews, Zori and Avshalom of Israel; niece, Miri of Israel; and several great-nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Eva Mozes Kor; brothers, Schliom, Leiba, and Soruch; and parents, Scholom and Mirka Kor. Born Rachmiel Kor on October 24, 1925, in Riga, Latvia, Mickey was a loving and devoted husband and father, a meticulous pharmacist, loyal United States Army veteran, an avid supporter of Purdue University basketball and football, and a brave survivor of the Holocaust. Over a torturous period of almost four years, Mickey was used as slave labor in at least three Nazi concentration camps. Surviving the Riga Ghetto, KL Kaiserwald, KL Stutthof, and KL Buchenwald, he was liberated by the United States Army's 250th Engineer's Combat Battalion in early April 1945 near Magdeburg, Germany, from a death march leaving Buchenwald. He remained with the unit upon his liberation as their "mascot," teaching himself English by reading Stars and Stripes, and acting as the unit's unofficial interpreter. In May 1946 with the help of Lt. Col. Andrew Nehf, he immigrated to the United States where he settled in Terre Haute, Indiana. Mickey was granted U.S. Citizenship in 1948, which was something he greatly treasured and considered a precious accomplishment. He finished his high school education at State High School and then attended Indiana Teacher's College before graduating from Purdue University School of Pharmacy in 1952. Mickey served in the United States Army from Sept. 14th, 1952 - Aug. 28th, 1954 as a military pharmacist, stationed in Osaka, Japan. He often stated that he was full of pride and gratitude as a former concentration camp prisoner who was "allowed" to serve as a corporal for the same U.S. Army that liberated him. After leaving the Army, he worked for AP&S Pharmacy and Hook's Drugstore, and retired from CVS Pharmacy in 1995. Mickey was a docent and twice weekly lecturer for CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center until 2016, and a 64-year member of Humboldt Masonic Lodge #42 in Terre Haute, Indiana. He was a familiar and beloved face at Purdue home basketball and football games and enjoyed following and discussing politics, writing letters to the editor, watching sports, playing the piano, and singing along with Dean Martin. He is often remembered as the man who whistled while he walked at The Meadows. Visitation for Mickey will be at DeBaun Funeral Home in Terre Haute, Indiana on Saturday, Oct. 23rd, 2021, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. A private graveside service will be at Highland Lawn Cemetery (officiated by Rabbi Benjamin Sendrow of Congregation Shaarey Tefilla). In lieu of flowers, if you wish to honor Mickey's memory with a donation to either the CANDLES HOLOCAUST MUSEUM and EDUCATION CENTER - Attn: In Memory of Mickey Kor, 1532 S. 3rd Street, Terre Haute, IN 47802; or you may direct it the Michael "Mickey" Kor Scholarship at Purdue University. Checks should be made payable to the Purdue Foundation and mailed to the attention of Katie Skeel, College of Pharmacy University Development Office, 575 Stadium Mall Drive, Room 370, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2067. If you wish to make an online gift, use this link: https://connect.purdue.edu/inmemoryofmickeykor Online condolences may be made to:

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Michael "Mickey" Kor, please visit our floral store.