Danielle Frankel

Danielle Frankel Obituary

(1938 – 2026)

Danielle Frankel was born in Paris, France in 1938 to Mr. and Mrs. Boruch Orzechowski. When the Nazis captured Paris in 1940, her parents took her to live with a Christian farm family for protection. Her parents were eventually murdered by the Nazis. Danielle lived on the farm for five years, and in 1947 at the age of eight, her cousins Max and Jean Block rescued her and brought her to the United States to live with them as her newly adopted parents in New Rochelle, New York. Upon her arrival in the US, they sent her to summer camp for three months along with her new siblings, Iris and Alvin. By the end of the summer, Danielle spoke fluent English. After spending many summers at her favorite summer camp at the age of 17 she wanted to return as a junior counselor, but was not accepted because she was too young. Thereafter, she and a friend accepted a job as a counselor at a charity summer camp, but this did not work out either. Not to be denied a summer job, she took a cab to the Concord Resort Hotel in upstate New York, located in the Borscht Belt, a region of the US that had summer resorts catering to American Jewish vacationers, especially residents of New York City. It was a favorite getaway of her parents. She knocked on the owner’s door and asked for a summer job which he gave her as the Children's Counselor, leading children’s activities. At the end of the summer when she was ready to leave, a friend convinced her to stay for Labor Day. That weekend is when she met her future husband Gunter who was there on vacation. Following a two-year courtship, in 1959 they married in New York and moved to Houston. Danielle had two children, Debra and Bruce. She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, role model, and friend. Gunter and Danielle were married for 67 wonderful years. Danielle enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, antiquing, theater, dining out, and traveling, particularly to Maine where she and Gunter spent many summer vacations. There were also many trips to Europe, including Italy and Switzerland which were two of her favorite places to visit.

She is survived by her husband Gunter, her daughter Debra Orkin and her husband Bob and grandson Jared; her son Bruce and wife Molly Ann, and grandchildren Max and Abby and many, nieces, nephews, and cousins. She is predeceased in death by her parents Max and Jean Block, her sister Iris and husband Martin Zeitler, and her brother Alvin and his wife Bonnie, her sister-in-law Lottie and her husband Sander Shapiro.

We wish to thank the staff of the Heritage of Meyerland Memory Center and the Fairmont Hospice for taking such great care of Danielle over the past year. A special thanks goes to Peggy Simmons, Danielle’s daily caretaker. We are truly grateful and appreciative of her commitment and help she rendered to Danielle and our family over the past several years.

She was honored with a graveside service at Emanu El Memorial Park.