A father of three and Holocaust survivor died of listeria after eating a sausage that sparked a nationwide outbreak.
Günter ‘Garshon’ Morgenstein, 88, hid under floorboards to escape the Nazis during World War II before fleeing to the United States with his brother.
He settled in a small town in Virginia, where he regularly bought Boar’s Head liver pate because it reminded him of the food from his native Germany.
But in July this year, days after eating one of their sausages, he felt fatigued and began having trouble breathing, so he was rushed to hospital.
Doctors said he was infected with listeria and had developed meningitis as a result, which caused a fatal brain swelling.
Pictured above is Gunter “Garshon” Morgenstein, a father of three from Newport, Virginia, with his wife Peggy. He died after suffering a listeria infection from eating Boar’s Head cold cuts.
Mr. Morgenstein appears in a family photo. He survived the Holocaust but later died from an infection caused by cold cuts.
He died on July 18 of this year, just ten days after being admitted.
Revealing his father’s story, his son Garshon told DailyMail.com: ‘I think that’s one of the biggest things, you know, that my mother and I are most shocked by – that he survived the Holocaust only to die from sausages years later.
“It’s kind of ridiculous if you think about it. That’s part of the irony of the whole thing.”
Boar’s Head has recalled about 7.2 million pounds of deli meat after the CDC linked listeria cases to its liverwurst products.
A total of 43 people have been hospitalized since the outbreak began in 13 states, while three have died.
It’s unclear how the meat sold by the supermarket became contaminated, but listeria bacteria can linger on surfaces, including cutting tools and countertops that aren’t thoroughly cleaned regularly, raising the risk of contamination and an outbreak.
Boar’s Head said in a statement responding to Mr Morgenstein’s case: “We deeply regret the impact this recall has had on the families affected.
“There are no words that can fully express our condolences and the sincere and deep sorrow we feel for those who have suffered loss or suffered illness.”
Friends and family described Mr. Morgenstein as a friendly, outgoing person and a pillar of his community.
He worked as a hairdresser and rose through the ranks to join the exclusive Paul Mitchell hair service, where he styled the hair of stars such as Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones and Muhammad Ali.
He continued to work in that position for over 50 years and was still a hairdresser when he became ill, saying that he loved the art of his work and his clients.
His son added to USA TODAY: ‘My dad was a complete extrovert. He loved going to stores like 7-Eleven and we’d be sitting in the car and I’d say, “You see that guy outside, I’ll bet you $5 you won’t talk to that guy,” and he’d say, “Of course I will.”
Mr. Morgenstein fled to the U.S. via East Germany and Canada after World War II.
She had eaten Boar’s Head liver pate the day before she became ill. This meat is now included in the recall of products contaminated with listeria in several states.
“I’d go out and talk to the guy for a couple of minutes. It was just a silly thing that blew my mind because he could talk to anyone.”
Boar’s Head is now being sued by the family, led by attorney Anthony Coveny of Ron Simon and Associates, who are seeking damages for the loss of their father.
It is just one of several legal actions facing the company, which also includes the case of Missouri woman Sue Fleming, also 88, who fell “deadly ill” after consuming its liver pate.
She is now recovering from her infection, but said it left her too frail to walk for weeks and she suffered neurological problems.
It has also put her marriage to the test. She is seeking more than $25,000 in damages.
Others have also filed lawsuits against Boar’s Head, including 88-year-old Sue Fleming of Missouri, who fell “deathly ill” after eating the products.
In another case, pregnant Minnesota woman Ashley Solberg is seeking damages after saying the illness she suffered from the meat caused her to nearly lose her child.
She was 36 weeks pregnant when she fell ill with listeria and is seeking a payout that far exceeds $75,000.
According to the CDC, approximately 1,600 people are infected with listeria each year (usually through food) and 260 die from these infections.
For most people, listeria food poisoning is an inconvenience that resolves after a few days of nausea and diarrhea.
But older adults, pregnant women and those with underlying medical conditions (who have weaker immune systems) are more likely to experience severe illness.
Doctors say in severe cases the bacteria can leak out of the gut and enter the bloodstream, potentially causing life-threatening meningitis or sepsis.
Boar’s Head has urged customers to throw away the recalled products or return them to the store for a full refund.
Mr Morgenstein is pictured above in a family photo. Doctors said he suffered severe and permanent brain damage during his illness.
He was also a famous hairdresser, cutting the hair of clients such as Engelbert Humperdinck.
Doctors initially tried to discharge Morgenstein after two days in the hospital, but his 80-year-old wife Peggy refused the request, saying there was still something “strange.”
He then gradually deteriorated and was transferred to the ICU, where he became so weak that he could only communicate by shaking his head and nodding.
Doctors gave her antibiotics, but when she didn’t improve after a few days, they warned her that she was unlikely to get better.
Even if he did, they said he would likely have disability issues and not be the same man his family remembered.
“We didn’t want to see him suffer any more,” his son said. “The doctors said that even if he survived, there was more than a 90 percent chance that he would have some kind of brain damage.”
Mr. Morgenstein was born in Cottbus, Germany, about 100 kilometers south of Berlin, in 1936 to a Jewish family.
He escaped the Nazis by going into hiding and then fled to the United States in 1954 via East Berlin, to join his brother in Canada, who had left a few years earlier.
She had worked in hair salons in Germany since she was 13, where she was given a job after she lied about her age, and then moved to Newport, Virginia, where she built a career in hairdressing and cosmetology.
At the hospital, he was rushed to the ICU, where doctors unsuccessfully attempted to treat his illness with antibiotics.
After her death, her family linked her illness to the liver pate by comparing the product listed on the store receipt with the one included in the recall.
His son is not sure how much damages the family is seeking from Boar’s Head, saying that is not the purpose behind the case.
“This is to make other people aware of this, that’s really one of my goals: just to raise awareness about the whole situation,” she said.
“I know it’s something my father would want, to spread the word and make everyone aware of listeria.”
Mr. Morgenstein leaves behind his wife Peggy, three children and grandchildren.