Marcel "Marcy" Korn, age 83, of Boston, MA, passed away peacefully on February 3, 2024. He discovered Mad River Valley 51 years ago, and it became his family’s “happy place” to get away from their busy lives in Boston. The Valley has been home for the Korn family to ski, play tennis, make long-term friendships, and celebrate important milestones. A morning swim with a view of the mountain, enjoying his home at The Bridges, dipping in the Mad River, and joyriding in his 1972 Fiat convertible were among his favorite activities.
He was born in Chernovitz, Romania, on June 1, 1940, the son of Rica and Bernard Korn, and soon to become the elder brother of sister Pedy, in a continent already embroiled in World War II. Marcy's first five years were of constant struggle and survival as his family fled across Eastern Europe escaping the consequences of the Holocaust. Landing in Paris just after the war in 1945, they lived in a small hotel room for five years waiting for their opportunity to be with his mother's family in Boston. The family arrived in Chelsea, MA, in 1950 and became a part of the immigrant story in America, surrounded by cousins, aunts and uncles – many of whom had made their way to the Boston area before the war. Marcy formed many of his "friends for life" in this community.
He was an avid athlete and sports enthusiast, an active member of the West End House Boys and Girls Club and was forever grateful that his uncles sent him each summer to attend the historic West End House Camp for boys in Parsonsfield, Maine. He worked in a women's shoe store in Downtown Crossing and as a busser in his uncle’s well-known downtown restaurant and supper club, Steuben's. He often spoke fondly of spending time with his father at the Wonderland racetrack in Revere, his years at Chelsea High School, and playing on the basketball team and meeting famous singers and comedians as they tested material in The Cave at Steuben's in Boston before heading to New York and Miami.
Street smart and curious. He attended UMass Amherst where he met the love of his life, Gail, both in their first semester in September of 1958. Gail and Marcy were married in 1962 and recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.
For more than 53 years, Dr. Korn has been a force in the orthodontic profession. He was a dental and orthodontic graduate of Tufts University where he was inspired by professor and mentor Dr. Everett Shapiro. His dental training landed him a post in Bamberg, West Germany, as an officer in the United States Army. While in Germany, Marcy and Gail traveled extensively with (and without) his young daughter, Denise. When the family moved back to Boston, they welcomed their second daughter, Nicole, in 1972 as he launched his orthodontic practice in Fitchburg, MA.
He recently reflected on some key themes in his professional journey: His commitment to making orthodontics more accessible to people around the world, the importance of personal and customized care, and the essential consideration of one's muscles, posture, and body in relation to treatment. He worked in the Tufts clinic treating patients and teaching students for 48 years. He continuously applied his passion for learning, inventive spirit, and insights from being Director of Research at Tufts to fuel new orthodontic appliance inventions, treatment approaches, and TMJ solutions that truly challenged the profession. His work led to decades of invitations to teach nationally and internationally. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, member of the Angle Society of Orthodontists, and a fellow in the International College of Dentists.
Marcy was a devoted husband, father, brother, uncle, and grandfather with family always of the utmost importance. He is survived by his wife Gail; two children, Denise (Ari Nachmanoff) and Nicole (Mark Feldman); as well as his six grandchildren, Malcolm and Lucy Nachmanoff, Ethan, Charlotte, Roxanne, and Warren Feldman; and his sister, Pedy Wolkon. Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, February 8, at 1 p.m. at the Chapel at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham Street, Sharon, MA, followed by burial at the Sharon Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in Marcy's memory may be made to West End House Boys and Girls Club: westendhouse.org/donate/ or to Magen David Adom: afmda.org/donate/ www.stanetskycanton.com
