Gerhard Meilen
1941 – 2019
Gerhard Meilen passed away unexpectedly from a cardiac event at his home in Park Slope, Brooklyn. He was a devoted life partner to Fran Antmann and a loving father to their daughter Yasmin, who was his life’s greatest joy. Other survivors include his sister Sylvia Milgraum, her four children, and their families.
Gerhard was born in Romania during World War II. Forced to flee from the Nazis, he lived with his family in ten different European countries before arriving in the United States in 1951. In addition to fluency in French, German, Italian, and Romanian, he brought with him an Old-World sense of courtliness and aesthetics.
After attending Horace Mann, he received a B.A. from Yale University, an M.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Berkeley, and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, where he made Law Review. He practiced law for many years, specializing in domestic and international corporate transactions, including startups, intellectual property, corporate finance, and insurance. He also undertook pro bono work and was especially proud to have achieved asylum status, after two years, for a teenage boy from Guatemala.
Gerhard was a polymath, with deep knowledge in fields such as history, classics, and astronomy. He played classical guitar, and was an avid cyclist and skier. He was technically gifted and could take apart and re-assemble anything. In his later years, he returned to his literary past and wrote wonderful short stories. He was also a generous and supportive editor to the writers in his life.
Gerhard’s oxygen was the sea, and he was known as a brilliant sailor and navigator. He competed in many races, including three single and double-handed ‘Newport to Bermuda’ races. He also delighted in taking long voyages with Yasmin, during which he shared his love for and knowledge of sailing.
Gerhard will be missed greatly by his family and friends. His brilliance and kindness will be an enduring gift to those with whom he shared his life. A memorial service was held at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture in the spring of 2020.