Maurice Udes, 83, did business with a smile
Maurice Udes was a longtime Omaha businessman known for being low key but approachable.
It was his smile and warmth that drew people to him, said Alden Awerkamp of Omaha, a longtime friend and colleague.
"You never heard him laugh out loud, but one thing he always had on his face was a smile," Awerkamp said
Udes, who owned Builders Supply Co., died Nov 15 in his home at age 83.
A memorial service was Thursday at Temple Israel.
Udes earned a degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University, then spent three years in the Army during World War II.
In 1951, he opened Builders Supply Co. in north Omaha. He later expanded and moved the company to its current location at 5701 S. 72nd St.
Udes oversaw the sale of lumber, windows and millwork to builders for more than 40 years before transferring ownership of the company to his employees.
In 2001, Udes was inducted into the Omaha Busiess Hall of Fame.
He also believed in community involvment. In 1990, for example, he gave money to the "Passage of Freedom Fund," which provided food, shelter and linens for Soviet Jewish families who immigrated to the United States.
Udes is survived by his wife, Joan, of Omaha; daughters Barbara Shaw, Diane Udes and Lynne Scott, all of Omaha; stepdaughters Janet Backus of Las Vegas, Susan Cannon of Kenilworth, Ill., JoEllen Eugenides of Warner, N.H., and Barbara Pathak of Andover, Mass.; 15 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
