Daniel Litowsky

April 17, 1917 - April 7, 2015

We mourn the passing of Daniel, a father, grandfather and great-grandfather, after succumbing to the natural causes of aging at the age of 97. The patriarch of our family departed with the blessings of his children: Daniel, Andrew and Lisa; his grandchildren: Eric, Melissa and Tara; and his great-grandchildren: Tyler, Jason, Joey, Ava, Tamara and Rebecca. Daniel will be remembered for his contagious humor, clever wit and incisive intellect but especially for his generous heart.

Daniel was born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in the south Bronx, where he became a skillful and passionate handball player remaining very competitive until his 60’s and winning numerous tournaments. In 1939, he joined the U.S. Army and while stationed in the Canal Zone, Panama, he re-enlisted in the Navy for the duration of the war. He also married the love of his life, Angela, on May 29, 1942, and they were together until her death on August 23, 2002. He had learned to speak Spanish fluently, along with French, Yiddish, and Hebrew. He played chess at a competitive level well into his 90’s making him one of the oldest highly rated active member of the US Chess Federation.

Daniel followed his military experience into the United Nations in an administrative capacity travelling to various posts throughout Central and South America. He also served as a simultaneous interpreter in the General Assembly. He worked for private US businesses in Chile, Venezuela and in the Philippines. Daniel had a long and successful career with the State of California, retiring after more than 20 years of service as a budget analyst with the PUC and later as Comptroller for Hastings College of Law.

Daniel and Angela travelled extensively during his active retirement visiting Europe, Hawaii, and Angela’s native country, Panama. After Angela’s death, he settled at The Broadmoor Hotel in San Francisco, where he taught Spanish and developed many close friendships until his death. Daniel will be remembered for three passions: handball, chess and his family. We will all miss him terribly. A private service will be conducted for the family. Anyone who wishes to donate in his memory, please send donations to the Mechanics Library, Chess Club, San Francisco, where he was a member for more than 30 years.