Obituaries are supported by a generous grant from Sinai Memorial Chapel.
Daniel Asher
Dan came to San Francisco in 1968 shortly after his Bar Mitzvah in Greensboro, NC, when his father, Joseph Asher, became senior rabbi at Congregation Emanu-El. He graduated from Lowell High School in 1972 and went on for his bachelor’s and MBA at UCLA. During that time he was among the first to survive Hodgkin disease thanks to groundbreaking protocols at Stanford Medicine.
The ensuing 50 years had numerous health challenges, but in his own words, numerous blessings as well:
“I was born into a family where I always felt loved and appreciated. My father, the late Rabbi Joseph Asher, was a lifelong inspiration and motivation. My mother, the late Fae Asher, was for her 90+ years a nurturing presence and an example of great style and decorum. Rabbi Raphael Asher was always my closest friend and best audience. As my big brother we were bonded by a lifetime of common history and reverence for the generations. This bond extended to Raphy’s wife Jennifer and gave rise to a deep affection for their daughters Mira and Jocelyn.
“Most precious of all was my wife Maryrose. Her love and companionship kept me going when I would have caved in otherwise. She laughed at my stories and, in turn, made me laugh for 38 years. Her constant encouragement led me to believe I was funnier, cleverer and more talented than I really was. She gave me many joys, not the least of which were two children, Rob (wife Shirleen) and Kris, and four grandsons, Nick (wife Isabella), Nate (wife Bailey), Ayden and Rowen. I loved them all as best I could, and I never tired of being called Poppy.
For more than 30 years I worked in the field of philanthropy, starting at the SF Jewish Federation, then as Director of Endowment at the Seattle Jewish Federation before moving into the private sector with my Foundation Management Group. This work gave me many opportunities to engage with people of significant financial means. However, I always felt, as taught in Pirkei Avot, that the wealthy man was the one who is satisfied with his lot (Pirkei Avot 4:1). By that measure I am sad to announce the death of Daniel Asher, one of the world’s wealthiest of men.”
Walter Menachem Gewing
April 28, 1930–Oct. 11, 2024
Walter Gewing passed away at the age of 94½ on Oct. 11, 2024, in Pleasanton, California. Born on April 28, 1930, in Leoben, Austria, Walter’s early life took a dramatic turn when his family fled to Shanghai, one of the few places that accepted Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. He and his family spent a decade in the Shanghai Ghetto before finally receiving permission to immigrate to the United States.
After settling in San Francisco, Walter met Anna, the love of his life. They soon married, raising three children and sharing a long, fulfilling life together. Over the years, they moved from San Francisco to San Ramon and eventually to Stoneridge Creek Retirement Community in Pleasanton.
Walter built a successful career with Prudential Insurance, and after retiring, devoted his time to traveling, family, his beloved dog Dixon, Torah study, improv classes, baking, friendships, gardening and — by his own humorous admission — “stagnating.” Walter most recently found new love as well.
Known for his sharp wit, warmth and generosity, Walter’s presence was cherished by all who knew him. To those who had the pleasure of his company, he was the epitome of a “mensch” — a person of integrity and honor.
Walter was predeceased by his wife, Anna, and is survived by his girlfriend Beth Wilson, his daughter Ruth (Robin), his sons Shimon (Shula) and Martin (Cheryl), his granddaughters Jordan, Zohar, Krystle and Jaclyn, his grandsons David, Carmi (Mei-Tal) and Nadav (Avigail), his brother Ehud, and many beloved nieces, nephews and great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to ActBlue.com, Congregation Beth Emek in Pleasanton, CA or Hope Hospice in Walter’s memory.
Carole Rubin Meyers
July 19, 1951–Aug. 27, 2024
Carole Rubin Meyers, a resident of Mill Valley, California, was born on July 19, 1951, and passed away on Aug. 27, 2024, after a long, brave battle with intestinal disease. She lived those 73 years fully, with great joy, love, fulfillment and compassion for others.
Carole was born in Alexandria, Virginia, and grew up there and across the Potomac in Washington, D.C. As would become the story of her wonderful life, she gathered intimate friends like a magnet, from her earliest days in Virginia through her years of high school and college, and she stayed close with all of them always.
In 1975, she met her future husband, Merle Meyers, and that began a devoted and enduring romance that lasted 49 years. In 1977, the two of them moved to Mill Valley and started a family that grew to three boys and many dogs.
Never one to sit idly by, once ensconced in California, Carole took on many paid and volunteer assignments, including placing temporary workers in San Francisco, starting a print brokerage business, teaching English as a second language to Russian émigrés and residents of the Canal Area in San Rafael, serving as a docent at both the S.F. Museum of Modern Art and the Contemporary Jewish Museum, managing rental properties, volunteering at Dress for Success, editing and publishing a monthly bulletin at her synagogue, Congregation Kol Shofar, becoming a master player and consummate teacher of mahjong and, at the young age of 51, becoming a Bat Mitzvah.
Carole made close friends with everyone she knew, from members of the synagogue and fellow parents at her kids’ schools and neighbors, to the gardener, handyman and plumber she hired. With all of them, she devoted herself to sharing their lives, victories and disappointments intimately. She showed such compassion and loving interest and support to her many friends, that many considered her to be their best friend. Her sparkle, smile and fashion lit up every room she entered, and her love for her sons and husband was always her guiding light.
Carole loved raising her three sons (and training her husband). She once had a license plate that translated loosely to: “Three Golden Boys.” She talked to her sister Linda at least once every day. Carole was famous for her cards — she never missed a birthday, anniversary, holiday or any other occasion as a reason to be in touch, and she insisted on mailing handwritten cards because emails and texts were just not enough.
Carole loved hiking trips and international travel, and she journeyed with Merle to the far-flung corners of the world, including Turkey, all parts of Europe, Morocco, Israel, New Zealand, South Africa, India, all of Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Egypt, Indonesia and Iceland. Everywhere she went, she picked up new, lifelong friends.
Carole died at peace, surrounded by her three sons, Aaron, Sam and Max, and by her husband Merle, knowing that she had lived life to its fullest and that, although cut short by illness, her life was one of joy, love and achievement. Her memory and beautiful vision is a blessing to all who knew her.