Dan Phillip Trubovitz

Dan Phillip Trubovitz (May 1 1957 – September 18 2025) passed at the Sharp Lake View hospice home in La Mesa, CA, due to complications from a hemorrhagic stroke he experienced in August 2023. He was surrounded by family and friends throughout the week he spent in hospice care leading up to his peaceful passing.

Dan was born in Los Angeles County, CA to David and Lee Trubovitz and graduated from Edison High School in Huntington Beach in 1975. He attended UC Berkeley, where he was an enthusiastic member of the Berkeley Student Cooperative (Kingman Hall house), and graduated with a B.A. degree in Zoology in 1979. In 1980, Dan received his Community College Instructor credential from the State of California. He pursued his passion for biology and ornithology at San Diego State University, where he completed his thesis on the dialects of the San Diego Song Sparrow and earned a M.S. degree in Biology (Genetics) in 1983. He went on to graduate with a Doctorate of Arts in Biology (Undergraduate Biology Teaching) from Idaho State University in 1986. In 1989, Dan married the love of his life, Cindy Trubovitz (Taylor), and the couple settled in San Diego, CA. They first met each other in 1983 at Two-Bit Sandwich Shop near SDSU on the last day of class finals and completion of degrees for both of them.

Dan joined the founding faculty cohort of the Miramar College Science Department in 1990, where he played an instrumental role in shaping what is now a thriving Biology Department. He taught courses such as Biology, Microbiology, Human Anatomy, Biotechnology, and Natural History, and was also the first Miramar faculty to take biology students on a Study Abroad program to Costa Rica. Dan was deeply devoted to his students’ success; students appreciated his engaging lectures, fair course policies, and interest in helping them achieve their educational and career aspirations. He was committed to furthering his own education throughout his career to provide the best possible education for his students. He served as Department Chair of Natural Sciences (1996–2000) and acting Biological Sciences Department Chair (Spr. 2016), contributed to numerous textbooks and laboratory manuals, and co-led an NSF-funded project to improve biotechnology laboratories at Miramar College and provide hands-on laboratory experiences for local high school students. Dan was also involved in the design and construction of two science buildings and the Biological Study Pond at Miramar College. Beyond these accomplishments, Dan will be fondly remembered by his colleagues for his enthusiasm for science, easygoing attitude, sense of humor, and his readiness to go above and beyond to support and connect with his fellow faculty and staff. While he formally retired from his Professor position in Jan of 2019, he continued teaching part-time at Miramar College up until his tragic stroke in 2023.

Outside of work, Dan led a rich life full of family, friendships, and hobbies. He was an avid birder, beer-brewer, coffee-roaster, mountain and road bicyclist, Padres fan and football fan, hiker, pickleball and softball player, and trophy winner in his racquetball and paddleball clubs. One of his favorite things to do was travel the world and experience nature with his wife, Cindy. He was also a very involved and supportive father to their two daughters. He will be remembered by his inner circle as a loving son, brother, husband, father, uncle, cousin, and friend. He is survived by his wife Cindy Trubovitz, his sister Sue Trubovitz, his daughters Sarah Trubovitz and Julia Pfingsten, and his granddaughter Eloise Pfingsten.