Tucked away in David Habib’s home is a box packed with thank-you notes he’s received over the years. The notes, friends and family said, are a testament to the impact Habib made on the lives of countless Jewish families as the managing funeral director for Sinai Memorial Chapel’s Peninsula office.
Gregarious, charming and a friend to many, David “Dudu” Habib succumbed to cancer on Jan. 14. He was 46.
“It’s a huge loss for us,” said Sinai Memorial Chapel executive director Liz Orlin. “Our work is about relationships, and he had so many. He had so many friends and was so invested in taking care of his community.”
Added his wife, Shoshi Habib, “He handled everything with care. He gave everyone VIP service at the saddest moment of their life.”
David Habib was born in Netanya, Israel, and grew up in nearby Herzliya until he was 8. His father, a tech sales executive, moved the family to Brussels for several years, where Habib mastered French. From there the family relocated to Palo Alto, where Habib attended Gunn High School.
After graduating, and by then an American citizen, Habib joined the Israel Defense Forces as a lone soldier, serving in a tank division in Lebanon, where he and his crew were wounded by a roadside bomb. After three years of military service, he returned to California to earn an MBA from Notre Dame De Namur University.
During his army service, Habib befriended a young female soldier named Shoshi Naymann. When he learned years later she had come to Los Angeles for an extended stay, he called her often, pleading with her to visit him in the Bay Area. According to Shoshi, among friends Habib referred to her as his “future wife.”
He wasn’t wrong. The couple married in 2008, settling in San Mateo. Their son Edo, now in high school, was born the following year. By then, Habib had launched his career at Sinai Memorial. It turned out to be a job for which he was well suited, bringing his characteristic professionalism and kindness to the role.
“He was so passionate about the work we do,” Orlin said. “He had such amazing ideas for how we could do better and reach more people. He saw Sinai Memorial as a vital part of the fabric of this community, so he pushed us. There was almost an impatience for us to be all that we could be.”
He initially struggled with the strong emotions he felt serving grieving families, Shoshi Habib said, but over the course of nearly 20 years at Sinai Memorial Chapel, and as manager of Eternal Home Cemetery in Colma, he mastered the art of compassion.
“It took him some time to adjust,” his wife said. “It was difficult at first. He would tell me every day how he felt. He cared for the families so much, but he focused on supporting them and the community. He learned a lot. He went to classes. He gave classes in synagogues. He was a very good speaker and writer.”
Added Orlin, “He was very eager to see us do better at marketing ourselves. He was such a champion for how we could get out from behind our walls and be out there more. It was his personal mission to make sure Sinai could do everything to meet the Jewish value of burying people quickly.”
At home, he was a consummate husband and father. The family visited Israel often, they were huge Golden State Warriors fans, and everywhere the couple went in the Bay Area, Shoshi Habib was amazed how many friends her husband had amassed.
“He was a charmer,” she said. “If you met him you would fall in love with him. There’s something in him that connects with people. It’s a gift. He was able to connect with all the synagogues, rabbis, and the different Jewish organizations. They loved him, and he loved them.”
Even when diagnosed with cancer several years ago, Habib defied the odds and kept working as long as he could. And when he died, he benefited from the venerable Jewish tradition he championed so strongly: He was buried in less than 24 hours.
He is survived by wife, Shoshi, and his son, Edo, of San Mateo, parents Isaac and Simona Habib of Palo Alto, and brothers Roni Habib and Nathan Habib. A GoFundMe account has been set up to support Shoshi and Edo Habib.