Sigmund Jucker, an original founder of Three Brothers Bakery, died December 11 at age 98.
Jucker s was a life of hard work, survival, and ultimately rewarding success. He was born in Chrzanow, Poland, in 1922, and, according to his obituary, started working at his family s bakery at a young age. He was apprehended by Nazi soldiers and sent to a concentration camp in 1939, spending six years in captivity during the Holocaust.
On May 8, 1945, the day Germany surrendered unconditionally during World War II, he awoke in camp to find Nazi Secret Service officers had fled. Jucker cut the wires of the camp s gate, liberating himself and the other prisoners. A few years later, he moved with his family to America.
Updated: 12:49 PM CST December 13, 2020
HOUSTON Houston is mourning the death of a man who brought the city one of its most cherished establishments, Three Brothers Bakery.
Sigmund Jucker passed away peacefully Friday at age 98, according to the family. He was the last living co-founder of Three Brothers Bakery.
Sigmund and his twin brother Sol Jucker and younger brother Max Jucker opened Three Brothers Bakery on Holman Street in Houston on May 8, 1949.
He recalled earning $19, which would be a little more than $200 in 2020, on their first day.
For more than 50 years, Sigmund worked side by side with his brothers, brining delicious kosher-style pastries, cakes and breads to several generations of Houstonians.
Three Brothers Bakery founder Sigmund Jucker dead at 98
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Sigmund Jucker, one of the founders of Three Brothers Bakery, and his son Robert Jucker.Matthew White, Freelance / For the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
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Sigmund Jucker, who with is two brothers founders of the iconic Three Brothers Bakery in 1949, died Dec. 11 at 98. He is the last surviving founder of a business that has been a cornerstone in Houston’s Jewish community for generations.Three Brothers Bakery / Three Brothers BakeryShow MoreShow Less
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Sigmund Jucker, one of the original founding brothers of Three Brothers Bakery, makes a speech during the grand reopening celebration of Three Brothers Bakery Wednesday, July 1, 2009, in Houston. The bakery was closed after Hurricane Ike damaged the store.Michael Paulsen, Staff / Houston ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
Three Brothers Bakery co-founder Sigmund Jucker dead at 98
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Sigmund Jucker (Left) and his son Robert Jucker (Right)
Sigmund Jucker, one of the original founders of Three Brothers Bakery, died Friday. He “passed away peacefully at the age of 98,” according to his obituary.
Jucker was born in the town of Crzanow, Poland on Feb. 23, 1922. He and his three siblings were the fourth generation to work at this family’s bakery, which was established around 1825.
“Although he always dreamed of being a scientist and was an excellent student, his dreams would be dashed when the war broke out in Europe in 1939,” Jucker’s obituary read. “At 17, he was sent to a concentration camp and survived the horrors of 21 camps during the Holocaust until liberated on May 8th, 1945, a day he celebrated as a 2nd birthday, for that was when he began to live again. Several years later he left Germany with his brothers and followed his sister to Houston to start