Julius Klein, founder and architect of the famed triple-sightholder that bears his name, died recently at age 80.

A Holocaust survivor born in Budapest, Klein emigrated to the United States in 1948 with $10 in his pocket. Beginning as a melee dealer, he built his New York-based business to the point that it became a sightholder in 1989.

“He always had a smile on his face,” says Moshe Klein, his grandnephew. “He was a very gentle man, very quiet, unassuming.” Moshe notes that Julius was interested in the business to the end: “Just last week, I gave him an update on the sight.”

Julius Klein also donated heavily to charity, particularly yeshivas. “It was important to him to re-create the legacy that the Nazis tried to destroy,” his nephew says.