Mortimer Fleishhacker III, a generous and well-loved fixture of San Francisco society, died Oct. 25 at Davies Medical Center after a series of strokes. A member of one of the city’s oldest families, Mort, as he was known to friends, was 79.
Born Sept. 5, 1932, he was the great-grandson of Aaron Fleishhacker, a prominent land and mining developer who arrived in California in 1851, and his great-uncle was Herbert Fleishhacker, who built a famous San Francisco attraction, the Fleishhacker Pool, which was the world’s largest heated salt-water pool for 47 years.
Mort Fleishhacker received a degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University in 1954, then served in the Army before going back to school. In 1957, he received his MBA from U.C. Berkeley and subsequently became involved in a number of business ventures. He served on the board of directors of the Natomas Corp., an energy company, and American President Lines, a container transportation and shipping company.
But those who knew him best say Fleishhacker was most passionate about upholding his longstanding family tradition of philanthropy. From 1987 to 1990, he followed in the footsteps of his father, Mortimer Jr., by serving as president of Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco. Among other projects, he led the campaign to renovate the congregation’s historic building.
Other organizations to which Fleishhacker lent his time and leadership skills included the San Francisco Jewish Family Services Agency, the American Conservatory Theatre, the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, Big Brothers and the San Francisco Development Fund. He also was on the board of directors of the Fleishhacker Foundation, which dates back to 1947, when Mort’s grandfather, Mortimer Fleishhacker, a prominent banker and businessman, started a foundation of a similar name.
Mort Fleishhacker and his wife, Frannie, were married for 56 years; the couple was known for their love of travel and their support of local charities. Fleishhacker was an avid skier who spent time at North Lake Tahoe’s Sugar Bowl ski resort from his youth up into his 70s; he also stayed active with tennis, hiking and bike riding.
Fleishhacker is survived by his wife, Frannie; his sister, Delia Ehrlich, and brother, David Fleishhacker; his children, Leslie Gaylord, Sandi Randall and Marc Fleishhacker; and eight grandchildren.
A memorial service was scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 28 at the American Conservatory Theatre, 415 Geary St., S.F. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to A.C.T.