Morton "Morty" Kaplan's Obituary
Morton Kaplan, known affectionately as Morty, passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 28th at the age of 92 surrounded by his loving family. Morty was born in 1929 in Philadelphia and raised by his parents, Izzy and Tillie – both immigrants from Eastern Europe, and his older sister, Sandy. Growing up in Philadelphia as a child of first generation immigrants wasn't always easy, but Morty was always curious, optimistic and had a passion for adventure. Morty was always a handful. From a young age, he always fought for what he believed in, had boundless energy and unyielding curiosity – so much so that standing up to bullies and burning down his house with a chemistry set quickly landed him in military school. After graduating from Pennsylvania Military College in 1951 at the age of 21, Morty served in Korea as a Second Lieutenant Infantry Officer. Traveling to Asia as an Army Officer kick started decades of adventure throughout the world. Morty traveled to every corner of the globe and made countless friends along the
way. Throughout his years, he left no continent untouched yet he touched countless lives along his journey. Morty met his wonderful wife Linda in 1957, in Philadelphia. Morty immediately knew Linda was his one and only – after a month-long whirlwind romance, they were engaged. Morty and Linda have been steadfastly by each other's sides for 64 years. They loved cruising and exploring the world together, creating memories to last a lifetime. But their greatest accomplishment was raising their two boys, Ian and Howard. Ian and Howard both possess Morty’s zest for life and adventure. In 1964, shortly after the kids were born, Morty moved the family to Miami Beach, Florida and the Kaplans have lived in Miami ever since. Morty founded Trans-Chemical Corporation and the Kaplan Group of Companies – business ventures that were born out of his unrelenting curiosity, penchant for adventure and appetite for risk. For almost 40 years Morty worked alongside his sons, having lunch together daily and growing the business across petro-chemicals, energy, agriculture, finance and a single family office investment platform. Today, Ian and Howard run the business as a team. Morty’s dedication to his community and Jewish roots as well as his drive to help others inspired the family to dedicate a portion of their efforts to philanthropy via the Kaplan Family Foundation. For all of Morty’s accomplishments, he has always been an amazingly selfless person. Morty’s life was about building a strong family and looking after the community. Morty lived as he passed – on his own terms.Today, Morty’s legacy is carried on by his wife Linda, his sons Ian and Howard, his daughter-in-law Andréa, and his five grandchildren: Lauren, Josh, Jordan, Jared and Joelle. Morty was well known for his use of the word “FANTASTIC”. What is very clear is that Morty was a FANTASTIC husband, father, grandfather and friend we all loved. Morty would want his life to be celebrated. He would want you to sit up straight with your shoulders back, look around, be curious and most importantly: give back. He genuinely feels that he was blessed to be able to do and see as much as he did in his lifetime. His greatest pleasure would be having people commemorate his life by living their lives to the fullest. He made the most of his trip on our planet and hopes you will do the same.
If you would like to make a contribution in honor of Morty’s life, please feel free to do so at
the Greater Miami Jewish Federation indicating for the "Kaplan Family Foundation" in the
memo. Online contributions for the benefit of Kaplan Family Foundation can be made at:
https://jewishmiami.org/give/legacy/foundation_fund/ indicating “Kaplan Family Foundation
We invite you to join us to celebrate Morty’s life and legacy. Funeral services will take place at: Lakeside Memorial Park (10301 NW 25th St, Miami, FL 33172 / Outdoor Chapel) Wednesday, August 31st at 11:00am. Arrangements by Levitt-Weinstein Blasberg-Rubin-Zilbert Memorial Chapel (305) 932-2700
What’s your fondest memory of Morton?
What’s a lesson you learned from Morton?
Share a story where Morton's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Morton you’ll never forget.
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