Mona, Ruth, and Ellen are sad to report that our beloved father and companion, Dan Calistrat, passed away on February 14.

We will have a memorial on Sunday, February 23 at 1 pm at

Washington Hebrew Congregation, Bindeman Suburban Center
11810 Falls Rd, Potomac MD 20854

A reception will be held after the service

If you have any words to share at the memorial please either let us know that you want to speak or send it to us and we will read it aloud. Or if you have any private memories to share, we would love to know them.

Dad was born on December 19, 1930 in Bucharest, Romania to parents Ionel and Olga. His original name was Dan Cohn which was changed to Calistrat around 1944 because the family wanted to match an uncle who changed the name to try to become a writer. He was the middle child with an older brother, Mike, and younger sister, Irina.

Dad had a happy childhood and met our mother Bella in 1953. They met at a party that included a big group of friends that are still friends today. My parents got married in August 1958 and were happily married for 54 years until my mother died.

My parents left Romania for Israel in 1963 with no regrets to leave the Communist country. They had a long wait to be able to leave and had to smuggle out their valuables. My Dad served in the Israeli army including the 6 Day War in 1967 but did not see combat.

Mona was born in 1967 and Ruth in 1969 and we had a happy family. When they saw a Sears catalog with low prices and huge variety of items, they were influenced to move from Israel to America in 1970.

So they started over a second time, learning the language, finding an apartment, and a job. They had a big community of Romanian family and friends and they all helped each other.

Dad had a passion for his structural engineering work and was still working up until last month. He liked puzzles, logic problems, Jeopardy, was a member of Mensa, and achieved a Life Master status in Bridge. He enjoyed fixing things and helping with house projects for Mona and Ruth. He enjoyed playing with his granddaughters, Rachel and Abby, and liked to invent games to play together. He was proud of his family and we were proud of him.

He met Ellen seven years ago and moved to Potomac. They had a happy life together. They liked to play bridge, watch movies, travel, and spend time with family and friends.

We will miss him every day.

No flowers please.

Mona, Ruth, and Ellen