Dennis & I offer our sincere condolences on the passing of your son… May he rest in peace and his memory be a Blessing…

🙏🏻💜🙏🏻💜

I didn't have a chance to see Max a lot during his adult years but I remember him well as a child.

He was the cutest, sweetest, funniest affectionate child!

He always wanted to hold my hand when we were outside.

He left us all to soon.  RIP Max

Aunt Rochelle

I only knew Max for a brief time. I want to share my memories of him and give my condolences to his Family and Loved Ones.

When I first joined Pirates of Emerson two years ago, I didn’t know if this job was for me. I loved Halloween, but I didn’t see myself doing well as a scare actor in the Haunted mazes.

But Max was one of the first people I met. He made his presence known with jokes and stories of past times at Pirates. With the presence of him and others, I started to feel at home at this seasonal job, and I decided to come back for a second season.

During my second season, I had the privilege of transferring into Backwoods Basement as a scare actor at the front door. Max expertly handled the crowded lines of customers with friendly conversation, jokes, and professionalism. He never overwhelmed me with the amount of customers coming through my area, making my job so much easier. Not only this, he kept track of how many customers would tap out in the mazes. Tracking the amount of tap outs wasn’t a company policy. But Max did it because he wanted to. This tracking gave me and everyone in the Backwoods team an incentive to work together and scare people, leading us to 120 tap outs at the end of the 2024 season. But that wasn’t the only highlight of my season.

Pirates of Emerson celebrates the spirit of Halloween. The Trick and the Treat. The tricks live in the mazes, with all the fake fog, the sound effects, the crazy contraptions, and the scare actors. The Treat is the passion, the excitement, the camaraderie of the scare actors around me. In my second season, Max was the Treat. During times in the night where there were no customers in the mazes, Max would walk into the maze and talk to me. I’m not a sparkling conversationalist, but Max had the gift of gab, and would always have a good story to tell. His love for Pirates and Halloween was immense, and I looked forward to haunting with him this year. To be honest, I can’t imagine my third season of Pirates without him. His heart and passion for the Pirate community was felt, and It hurts to know that he’s gone. But Max has and will continue to inspire me to become both a better scare actor and a better person.

To Max's Family,

I am so sorry for your loss and cannot imagine the pain you are all going through. Max and Zach were so welcoming to me when I came back to Fremont at 16 in 2004 after 8 years growing up in Florida. Max was a huge presence in those early years back here, both at Kennedy High School and Temple Beth Torah . I will definitely think of Max when we recite Kaddish during the High Holy Days at TBT this year. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you during this very difficult time. 

Zichronam Livrachah , may  Max's memory be a blessing to all who knew and loved him and may he forever rest in peace.

Love,

Jonathan King 

Hayward, California 

Dear David, Francey, and Family,

We are so deeply sorry for your loss. Reading about Max’s life, it’s clear he carried a rare gift—the ability to love unconditionally, to laugh wholeheartedly, and to lift up those around him. His spirit, humor, and warmth touched everyone fortunate enough to know him.

We can only imagine the depth of your heartbreak, and we hope you can find some comfort in the memories of his laughter, his light, and the love he gave so freely. Though words can’t ease the pain, please know you are surrounded by people who care deeply for you and who hold Max’s memory close to their hearts.

With love and sympathy,

The Hochberg's

Diana & Jesse 

זכרונו לברכה (Zichrono Livracha — May his memory be a blessing)

Max was family. He was part of our Pirates of Emerson family and one of the very first people I became friends with when I started doing Pirates seven years ago. From the very beginning, Max made me feel truly welcome. He had a way of making you feel like you belonged, and because of him, I knew I was in the right place.

Max had a gift for storytelling. He always had so many stories and pictures to share, and while he could really talk my ear off, I genuinely enjoyed every moment of listening to him. He had this contagious energy that always brought laughter, and our conversations were filled with fun. One thing I’ll always remember is how he never failed to check in—sometimes just to say hi or see how I was doing. It was a simple gesture, but it meant so much and showed just how caring and thoughtful he was.

Our shared passion for the haunt bonded us, but our friendship went beyond Pirates. We hung out at Jen and Brandon’s parties, met up at a bar a few times, and he even came over to my house. One particularly fond memory was a night when he came over, I ordered pizza, and we just hung out for hours talking about anything and everything. I have a passion for music and an open mind for different genres, while Max loved punk rock. He shared stories with me about the punk scene, and we agreed that someday I should go to a show with him. He promised I’d love it, and I have no doubt that I would have.

Max also loved showing me pictures and sharing stories about his life. I remember when he shared photos from his brother’s wedding, his face lighting up as he told me all about it. I even got the chance to visit him when he still lived in Fremont, and he proudly showed me his old VW car that he loved working on. Those moments gave me a glimpse into the things he cherished most.

Sometimes, Max would come to me for advice about girls, and other times, he would patiently answer all my questions about the Jewish faith, which I found fascinating. No matter the topic—love, life, family, or our shared haunt adventures—we could chat for hours.

Our last conversation still lingers in my mind. He told me this year would be his 12th year at Pirates. It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that he won’t be there. The haunt won’t be the same without him, and I am truly heartbroken by his loss.

Max’s kindness, humor, and passion for life touched so many people. Though he may no longer be here, his spirit will live on through the memories we made, the stories we shared, and the scares we gave. This year, and every year after, I will scare in his memory.

Rest easy, Max. Thank you for being my friend. You will always hold a special place in my heart.