Warren Hecht, 84, dentist, dies

Warren Hecht, a Great Neck man who practiced dentistry for more than 60 years and volunteered as a firefighter for more than 40, died Tuesday. He was 84.

A skier, ice-skater, and scuba diver into his 70s, Hecht is remembered as active and athletic. "He was a rugged individualist," said Hecht's wife of 52 years, Gilda Hecht. "He was adventurous. Everyday was special and new."

Born and raised in Manhattan, Warren Hecht graduated from high school there and went on to New York University, where he earned a bachelor's degree and then a degree in dentistry in the late 1940s, his wife said. He practiced dentistry in the U.S. Air Force for a number of years, she said.

Later, Hecht practiced dentistry in Manhattan while also opening an office in Bayside, Queens, his wife said. Hecht remained practicing in the city and in Bayside until he retired in April.

Throughout Hecht's dental career, he was generous with his services. "He would fix some people's teeth and not charge them," said Gilda Hecht, a fiber artist who Hecht met and married in 1959.

The couple moved to Great Neck in the early 1960s, she said. Hecht soon joined the Great Neck Vigilant Engine and Hook & Ladder Company, volunteering to fight fires.

Hecht also volunteered in the search-and-rescue operations at Ground Zero in the days after 9/11, his wife said. "He was very proud to be a volunteer fireman."

Active until the last few years of his life, Hecht often skied, scuba dived, ice-skated, and hiked, his family said. He was also an avid runner who completed more than 20 marathons.

As he got older, Hecht suffered from a number of medical issues that forced him to slow down. Tuesday, he fell accidentally and died from his injuries, his daughter, Erica Hecht-Ebbets, of North Babylon, said.

"He was somebody to admire," Hecht-Ebbets, a teacher, said. "Somebody who loved people. Somebody who cared for people and lived life to its fullest."

Warren Hecht also is survived by son Steven Hecht, of Cambridge, Mass.; daughters Helen Hecht, of Melville, and Maura Hecht, of Lindenhurst; and three grandchildren.

A funeral for Hecht was Thursday at the Great Neck Vigilant Engine and Hook & Ladder Company firehouse. He was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Lodi, N.J.