Karl Hummer, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend passed away on April 15, from complications caused by Parkinson's disease. His wife Mary – his Liebling – was by his side.
Karl's parents, his first wife Susie, and his sister Gisela preceded him in death.
Karl was born in Salzburg, Austria in 1929 and lived with his mother and sister in their family hotel. In the mid '50's, he met and married Susie and they followed their dream to live in the US and work in the hospitality industry. Karl enjoyed a lifelong career managing hotels spanning the globe, and found himself in cities such as New York, Washington, D.C., Miami, Baghdad, Acapulco, Santiago, Mexico City, and ultimately Orlando.
Every destination brought him to some of the finest hotels in the world, but it was the people and his employees, all of them, that mattered most to Karl. His leather bound photo albums, meticulously chronicled, paint a picture of a person who appreciated the beauty and culture of each remarkable place. He was truly a man of the world.
After Susie's death in 1999, Karl met Mary and they began a new chapter of life. They married in 2000 and for more than 20 years, they traveled the world. However, their greatest joy was simply being together, and they remained side-by-side until the end. Karl and Mary loved watching the sunset from their patio, enjoying a glass of wine and a Coronita.
Together they sat, held hands, took in the beauty and marveled at a heron, who they named Tina, a regular on their dock.
Karl never had children, but treated Mary's three daughters, three son-in-laws, 10 grandchildren and great grandchild, as if they were his from the start. Karl was an excellent listener, and although soft spoken, his words were always clearly heard because they were given with love. His beautiful blue eyes and his warm heart said it all. He spent countless hours telling stories from his life experiences, beating all of us in chess, mixing his famous "poisonous" margaritas and reminding us to slow down. He was a perfect example of how to live and love.
Karl is survived by his wife Mary, Daughters Ann Sheridan (Steve), Donna Green (Gary) and Debbie Mijatovic (Ivan), and grandchildren Luca, Marko, Téa, Maria, Jake, Julia, Jessica Perkal (Matt), Carly Mattus (Jonathan), Mariel, Cameron and great granddaughter Charlie.
Our hearts are broken but we are all better people because Karl blessed our lives. We will celebrate Karl's amazing life at a later time, when we can all be together.
There are no services scheduled at this time. The family of Karl Hummer invites you to leave a message of condolence on the Tribute Wall created for him.