Obituaries are supported by a generous grant from Sinai Memorial Chapel.
Steven DeGraff
April 13, 1945–April 18, 2025
Steven DeGraff was born April 13, 1945, to Ruth and Eli DeGraff in Chicago. He died April 18, 2025, in Burlingame, CA.
Steven moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and graduated from Dorsey High School.
He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Finance at USC. As a new CPA, he married his loving wife, Andrea, although she was at UCLA!
During their 55 years of marriage, Steven became the adoring father to Craig (CC), Alison (Blake), Erin, and Brent. His biggest thrill was becoming granddaddy to Emma, Sofia, Olivia, and Pierce.
Steven was a past president of Congregation Beth Jacob in Redwood City, as well as a founder and treasurer of the then North Peninsula Jewish Day School (now Wornick).
He was a practicing CPA for over 50 years and enjoyed his clients so much that a one-hour appointment would often turn into three!
Steven loved travel, sports (especially hockey), and foreign currency collecting, but above all, spending quality time with his family. He will be greatly missed.
A service was held in Los Angeles on April 24.
In remembrance of Steven, donations may be made to the PJCC (pjcc.org), the Northern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (ncjshof.org), or charity of your choice.
Dr. Melvin Freeman
Dec. 5, 1922–April 16, 2025
Dr. Melvin Freeman, DDS, 102 years old, beloved and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away from pneumonia April 16, 2025, after a full and accomplished lifetime. Mel was born on Dec. 5, 1922, in Chicago, Illinois. He served in the U.S. Army as an anti-aircraft gunner between 1943-1945 in the Pacific Theater of Operations.
Dr. Freeman and Joan Arlene Goldman of San Francisco were married on August 20, 1955, not long after Mel graduated Dental School at UC San Francisco and started his practice in Los Angeles, Calif. Mel and Joan had four children, Jay, Lori, Brad and Jodi. The family moved to Palo Alto, Calif., in 1971. Mel established a thriving dental (pedodontist) office in Los Altos, Calif., and retired 20 years later in 1992. Mel and Joan moved to Palm Desert, Calif., where they enjoyed a full life of friends, traveling the world and, for Mel, golf and bocce ball. He even played the role of pool shark at his Assisted Living residence. Both Mel and Joan volunteered their time and expertise to teaching art in Palm Desert public schools.
Since his teenage years, Mel was an accomplished musician, both clarinet and saxophone. After retiring, Mel turned his practiced and nimble hands to sculpting, and his extended family benefited from having beautiful and whimsical pieces for their homes.
Mel is survived by Joan Freeman, his wife of 69 years, children Lori (Michael) Fineman and Brad (Debbie) Freeman, and his grandchildren Aaron Alexander, Allison Baltazar, Chas Alexander, Arlene Rodriguez, Matthew Fineman, Zachary Fineman, Ryan Freeman and Meagan Freeman. There are also six great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be scheduled soon. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his memory to the donor’s charity of choice, Hebrew Free Loan Society or ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Wayne Pickus
June 11, 1954–April 2, 2025
Wayne Stewart Pickus died peacefully in his sleep in the early morning of Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at the age of 70.
Wayne was born in Gardena to Arthur and Jean Pickus on June 11, 1954. His family later moved to Playa del Rey in Los Angeles into a home his father designed and built. He grew up surrounded by a close, extended family and spent his summers on his bike, enjoying the beach, and playing basketball. He attended the University of California at Davis and graduated in 1976 with a degree in agricultural engineering. In his sophomore year, he took a semester off to volunteer at a kibbutz during the Yom Kippur War. Following college, he joined the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) program and spent eight months at Kibbutz Beit Alpha followed by a year working as an irrigation engineer in Tel Aviv.
After earning a master’s degree in engineering from Loyola Marymount University, Wayne moved to the Bay Area in 1984. He had a fulfilling, thirty-five year career as a Vice President at CDM Smith, an engineering consulting firm. Wayne worked as a LEED-certified consulting engineer and specialized in managing projects remediating Superfund sites and designing wastewater treatment systems.
Wayne had three wonderful post-retirement years. He loved the leisurely daily walks with his wife and weekly family dinners with his son. He spent his retirement enjoying Hebrew classes, lunches with old friends, reading widely and voraciously, and most of all cheering for the LA Dodgers. Wayne also took deep pleasure and pride in his involvement at Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley, where he served as a board member and on multiple committees.
Wayne was thoughtful, kind, compassionate, and nonjudgmental. He was naturally curious, a deep thinker, and possessed a wry sense of humor. He maintained a mindfulness practice and meditated almost daily for 30 years. He also had a deep connection to Israel and an abiding interest in the history of civil rights and political philosophy. He was particularly drawn to the field of restorative justice and it gave him deep joy when his son chose a career path working in this field. He was an avid sports fan and was a particularly passionate fan of his favorite LA teams, the Dodgers and the Lakers.
Wayne had a way of being entirely present in almost everything he did, and he listened with his entire heart and being. He never complained or gossiped, and was possessed of an unwavering optimism about the world and human nature. He was authentic to his core and had unshakable personal ethical standards mediated by an innate gentleness and kindness.
He was the best husband, lifelong friend and cherished soulmate to Margaret for 38 years, and proud committed father to Simon. Wayne was forever hopeful and believed that better times for Israel and the United States were ahead. His presence made this world a better place, and he will be deeply missed.
Wayne was preceded in death by his parents, Arthur and Jean Pickus, and older sister Leone Hyman. He is survived by his wife, Margaret Dorfman, son Simon Pickus, brothers Glen and Keith Pickus, their wives Kathy and Deirdre, brother-in-law Brad Hyman, and many nieces and nephews.
Contributions in Wayne’s name can be made to Congregation Netivot Shalom, the Southern Poverty Law Center, or the GRIP Training Institute.
Beverly Adrienne Unger Schatz
Nov. 20, 1938–April 3, 2025
Beverly Adrienne Unger Schatz, age 86, passed away peacefully on April 3, 2025, in Walnut Creek, California.
Born on Nov. 20, 1938, in San Francisco, Beverly was the only child of Alvin Unger (d. 1959) and Resi Green Unger (d. 1993). A proud second-generation San Franciscan, Beverly was raised in the city’s Richmond District. She graduated from George Washington High School in 1956 and went on to attend UC Berkeley and San Francisco State, earning what was then known as a Lifetime Teaching Credential.
Beverly knew from an early age that she was meant to be a teacher, and she followed that calling with heart and devotion. Over the course of a 40+ year career, she impacted the lives of countless students — most notably during her many years at Jean Parker Elementary School in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
Beverly was a dedicated mother and grandmother. She is survived by her daughter, Courtney Schatz Wasserman; son-in-law Dan Wasserman; and her beloved granddaughter, Zoey Rose Wasserman, to whom she was absolutely devoted. Her son, Michael A. Schatz of Richmond, Virginia, also survives her.
Her greatest joy in her later years came from spending time with Zoey, taking her on adventures all over San Francisco, watching her play sports, and witnessing her grow into a thoughtful young woman. Beverly spent the last nine years of her life in Walnut Creek to be closer to family, and for the past three years lived with Courtney, Dan, and Zoey, becoming an irreplaceable part of their daily life — filling the fourth seat at the family dining table with love, humor, and wisdom.
Beverly’s friendships were as important to her as her family. Over the years, she built and maintained deep bonds — with cousins, childhood and high school friends, college classmates, teaching colleagues, neighborhood companions, fellow parents, and new friends she met in Walnut Creek. She was a loyal friend, a great listener, and a trusted confidante who believed deeply in respect and privacy. Beverly was always just a phone call away, often chatting late into the night in lieu of technology.
The family is forever grateful for the incredible care and compassion Beverly received from Hospice East Bay during the final two years of her life. At her request, no funeral or memorial service was held.
Donations in Beverly’s memory may be made to Hospice East Bay: hospiceeastbay.org/donations
Beverly’s presence in the world will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved her. Her spirit lives on in the countless lives she touched, and in the memories her family and friends will cherish forever.
Don Surath
Jan. 23, 1945–April 10, 2025
Loving husband and proud father, author, university lecturer, former school teacher, radio personality, community activist, sartorial icon, Hash House Harrier, sports maniac, and most of all, consummate salesman, Don Surath was born to Morris and Rose (née Smith) Surath, in Detroit, Michigan, on January 23, 1945.
Eighty years later, a ruptured aneurysm cut short his lunch with a friend. (Given the number of friends Don had and the number of lunches committed to, the odds that he would go this way were high.) He passed away the next day peacefully in Redwood City, California, on April 10, 2025, with his hospital room and the hallway beyond packed with friends and family.
He leaves behind his wife, Susana, and his daughter by his second marriage, Marlo. He was predeceased by his parents and his sister, Alice.
A private service will be held at the family’s request. Memorial donations may be made to Muttville (muttville.org). In honor of his wishes, he will be laid to rest in the same cemetery as Wyatt Earp.