(JTA) — A 95-year-old Florida man, a championship fencer in the 1950s, died after accidentally setting himself and his house alight with a Havdalah candle.
Byron Krieger of Boca Raton died early Monday morning from injuries sustained in the accident on Saturday night, the local news station WPTC reported.
His wife, Joyce, 92, suffered minor burns. They were married for 57 years.
Krieger competed as a foil fencer in the Olympics twice for the United States, in the 1952 Games in Helsinki and the 1956 Games in Melbourne. He did not medal in either the team or individual event.
In 1957, he won the gold medal in the foil and sabre at the Maccabiah Games. He was inducted into the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.
Krieger, who attended Wayne State University in Michigan, was the NCAA champion in the foil in 1942, and won a gold medal in the team foil and team sabre at the 1951 Pan American Games.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by six children, 16 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
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