Daniel Howard Besser

Daniel ‘Dan’ Howard Besser passed away peacefully, surrounded by family in San Diego on

February 28 th , 2026 at the age of 79.

Dan was born in the Bronx on October 17 th , 1946, the first child of Gloria and Leonard Besser.

He was brought up in Yonkers, New York where he would prove himself industrious and hard-

working when as a fourteen-year-old he began delivering the Herald Statesman newspaper. He

attended Lincoln High School where he continued to work hard and get good grades while

bussing tables at the upscale Patricia Murphy’s Restaurant. Upon graduation he received a

scholarship to attend SUNY Binghamton in upstate New York. After earning a degree in

Philosophy, he took pleasure in arguing with anyone about anything and made some good

lifelong friends who didn’t seem to mind.

Soon after graduation Dan headed west to be near his family who had moved to Los Angeles.

He soon found employment at the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office while living in Topanga

Canyon and after several years left to work for the California Department of Real Estate. It’s

there he honed his skills as an appraiser before joining his brother to form the successful

business of Besser and Associates.

He met and married Ruth and became stepfather to her young daughter Sabine. Their daughter

Elizabeth was born soon after with Sarah following a few years later. They built a life in the

idyllic rustic Monte Nido section of Calabasas with their vast menagerie of horses, dogs and

cats.

When not working, Dan enjoyed being with his much-adored children, playing volleyball on the

beach, a round of golf and participating in a softball league. He belonged to the Mensa Society

and had a lifelong curiosity and thirst for knowledge. Dan loved reading, the beach, barbecuing

and traveling a great deal of the world – both for business and pleasure – bringing back all sorts

of trinkets to show for it. Some might say he was a complicated person – albeit with a sharp wit

and sense of humor and well-known for misplacing his wallet and glasses.

When the opportunity to work in Hawaii arose Dan picked up and moved, initially working to

develop time shares at the Waikoloa Bay Club followed by a long stint with Hilton Grand

Vacations. It was there he met many good friends and colleagues along with his second wife

Sumiko with whom he took on the task of building their dream house – on a hill on Oahu, a

project Dan liked and was well suited for. They lived there for several years until Dan’s

retirement when they moved back to the Big Island and built yet another house – this time with

adjacent apartments where Dan and Sumiko became well-loved Airbnb hosts.

After living in Hawaii for over twenty years and travelling frequently to Japan and Korea, as well

as an unforgettable trip to Africa, Dan moved back to California to continue his retirement in

Laguna Woods Village and to be in proximity to his family. While there he enjoyed playing pool,

attending lectures, racing around in his golf cart and shopping at Costco.

In 2024 Dan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and moved to San Diego to be close to his

daughter and her family.

He leaves behind his much-loved daughters Elizabeth (Greg), an English professor and Sarah

(Aram), a structural engineer, his five wonderful grandchildren; Cale, Gillian, Conlan, Faye and

Laurel, as well as his brother Steve (Roza), his sister Meredith (Larry), his stepchildren Sabine,

Mai and Mei, niece Cassandra (Rich), nephew Nathaniel (Dana) and several grand-nieces and

nephews.

He will be greatly missed and forever remembered and loved by family and friends. May his

memory be a blessing.

Gifts in his memory can be made to the Union of Concerned Scientists to fight climate change

or to the Alzheimer’s Association.