Obituaries are supported by a generous grant from Sinai Memorial Chapel.
Patricia D. Candau
Dec. 29, 1925–Feb. 5, 2025
Patricia D. Candau passed away peacefully in Walnut Creek, on Feb. 5, 2025, at the age of 99, surrounded by her family.
Patricia was an amazing woman of strength, independence and resilience. She grew up in London, England, starting work at age 16 for the Army Pictorial Service during WWII. A year later she met and married Ray, a U.S. Army serviceman. While Ray was still fighting the war in Europe, Patricia traveled across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary, eventually landing in San Francisco to live with her in-laws. She worked for an insurance company in San Francisco and later held jobs in Concord with an art fabricator and general contractor while raising her three children to support the family. After retiring in her mid-70s, Patricia shifted focus with volunteer roles taking care of infants at the Bay Area Crisis Nursery and helping Russian emigres learn English through Jewish Family and Community Services.
Patricia faced many challenges throughout her life with a toughness and survival instinct and yet delighted everyone around her with her wit and British mannerisms. Family and her Jewish roots were of utmost importance to Patricia, especially later in life as she re-embraced Judaism, reuniting with her sister, nieces and nephew and celebrating her first Jewish wedding in over 70 years for her grandson Garrett.
Patricia is survived by her daughter Christine (Gordon) McCloskey; sons Paul (Julie) Candau and Bradley (Linda) Candau; grandchildren David, Michelle and Marc McCloskey; Matthew, Michael, Nicholas, Garrett and Joshua Candau; nine great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.
Donations in her memory can be made to the Contra Costa Jewish Day School, Lafayette, CA, or Temple Isaiah, Lafayette, CA.
Jobyna Dellar
July 18, 1940–Feb. 13, 2025
Jobyna Dellar, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and community volunteer, passed away peacefully on Feb. 13, 2025, after an eight-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 84. For nearly five years, Jobyna resided at the Rhoda Goldman Plaza memory care unit, where she received compassionate and loving care.
Born in New York City on July 18, 1940, Jobyna spent her early childhood in New Jersey before moving to Berkeley, California, during World War II. She attended Berkeley High School and went on to graduate from UC Berkeley with a degree in business, after beginning her studies at UC Riverside.
In 1961, Jobyna married Edward Tanovitz, with whom she had two daughters, Eden Tanovitz Rodriguez (Giovanni Rodriguez) and Erica Tanov (Steven Emerson). Though that marriage ended in divorce, and after a brief second marriage, Jobyna found lasting love with John T. Dellar. They married in 1984 and shared nearly 45 wonderful years together. She is survived by John, her daughters, her grandchildren Isabelle Tanov, Hugo Tanov, and Isaac Rodriguez, her sister Charlene Akers (Nate Levine), her brothers Robert Akers and Peter Akers, her nephew Ryan Akers, her stepdaughter Lauren Dellar, and stepsons Richard Dellar and Joshua Dellar.
Jobyna was a successful businesswoman, owning her own sales representation business in the office supply industry. After retiring, she dedicated herself to volunteer work, a passion she pursued for many years. Her contributions to the community were significant and touched many lives. She volunteered with adult and children’s reading programs, served as a classroom aide in elementary schools, and worked with the PIP (Primary Intervention Program) at three San Francisco elementary schools. “Miss Jobyna,” as she was affectionately known, made a lasting impact on her students, many of whom would later express their gratitude for the positive start she gave them. She also volunteered with the Institute on Aging’s Friendship Line, offering a listening ear and warm connection to those who called.
Jobyna’s impact extended to her faith community at Congregation Sherith Israel, where she and John actively participated in various projects. She cherished her friendships with her reading and walking groups, enjoyed knitting, theatre, and movies, but above all, she loved spending time with her three grandchildren.
Jobyna will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and the many communities she so generously served. A memorial celebration of her life will be held in late spring.
Donations in Jobyna’s honor can be made to Rhoda Goldman Plaza, Congregation Sherith Israel, the Institute on Aging, Hospice of San Francisco, or the charity of your choice.
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Gary Richard Goddard
Gary Goddard passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family and his furry sidekick Melody on Feb. 8, 2025.
He whispered “I love you” and sang the last word of his favorite song, Mr. Bojangles: “Dance.”
Gary is survived by his wife, Yvonne Goddard, of 63 years, son Marc Goddard, daughter Renee Goddard, son-in-law Alexei Tcherepanov and grandchildren Sasha, Ruby, Quinn, and Lilian.
Gary was an Insurance Broker in his native city of San Francisco for over 60 years.
He was appointed President of the Society of Insurance Brokers during its 50th Anniversary year and made partner at Dinner & Levison company in 1976.
He served as the Insurance Broker pro bono helping open San Francisco’s Delancey Street, the country’s leading self-help organization, “a community where people with nowhere to turn, turn their lives around.”
He was passionate about supporting people’s personal and professional growth and served faithfully on the Board of Jewish Vocational Service. His support and respect for the work of Jewish Family and Children’s Services was unwavering.
Gary was an urban and mountain Renaissance man. Skiing on the weekends in Bear Valley where he and his brother Michael built one of the first cabins in 1968. He played tennis and pickleball with his steadfast friends until he turned 84, and he supported the ballet, symphony, and the Museums of San Francisco.
Despite his self-declared tone-deafness, he memorized and sang loudly and proudly the lyrics to most Broadway musicals.
Gary was adored by his children and grandchildren. His jokes and Batman stories always filled the room with laughter.
He made everyone he met feel special and modeled fairness and kindness.
He is cherished and missed and will travel in our hearts and memories forever.
David Rabb Sr.
April 22, 1939–Jan. 31, 2025
David Samuel Rabb Sr. of San Rafael, CA, passed away at the age of 85, surrounded by his loving family, on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Helen Paige and Stephanie Axner, and his brother, Jimmy Rabb, and is survived by his wife of 59 years, Mary Rabb, and their three boys, David Rabb Jr., Ben Rabb (Jodi), & Daniel Rabb (Alison), and four grandchildren, Jacob, Petra, Hailey & Samantha Rabb who lovingly referred to him as Papa.
David often told those around him that he was the luckiest man he knew.
He was born on April 22, 1939, in the booming town of Akron, Ohio, to Beatrice and Edward Rabb. His father, a lawyer, owned and operated movie theaters … as movies were his first love. Together with his mom they built a beautiful family that sat at the center of Akron’s Jewish community. David left Akron for college, spending two years at Ohio State University and completing his studies while gaining lifelong business skills at Babson College in Wellesley, MA.
He landed his first job in finance at Alside Steel, a company owned by a close family friend, where one of his early assignments required him to travel to San Francisco. Sitting by the Bay, he fell in love with the city and at the age of 22, made the bold decision to move across the country “all the way to San Francisco.” While David left Akron quite young, Akron never quite left him. He remembered everyone and everything, and wherever he went would miraculously find and bond with Akronites.
In San Francisco, David’s life got very lucky when he met Mary. David fell in love at first sight, and after only a brief encounter, pursued Mary, first contacting the registrar at UC Berkeley to get her phone number, and next blindly calling her for a date. The serendipitous encounter led to a whirlwind romance, and one year later, they were married.
David’s ability to connect with others was one of his most endearing traits. He struck an imposing stature, but was truly a warm teddy bear that made people feel secure. He listened intently, respected deeply, and made others feel valued. He carried those skills into his personal relationships, his professional life, and shared them with his community and was truly beloved for it.
David entered Mary’s family business, Grodins and Tannery West, helping his father-in-law, Arnold Michaels, build a chain of 67 clothing stores across the United States. However, David found his true passion building his own career in real estate. He started in residential brokerage in 1974 at Frank Howard Allen in San Rafael, eventually founding his own company, David Rabb Realty. As he expanded his career, David shifted to commercial partnerships and development, and later founded a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT).
David felt most lucky when surrounded by his family and friends. The home he and Mary built was full of activity and welcomed all, entertaining a constant rotation of family, friends, neighborhood kids, and playing host to decades of celebrations and holiday parties. He was a best friend and the quintessential uncle, always willing to offer up his time for relationship guidance, business advice, or just to enjoy good food and a drink, preferably Jack Daniels on the rocks. While he spent 50 years as a Rotarian and on many other nonprofit boards, his true charity was in his everyday actions constantly helping people in every and any way possible.
David shared his love of life with his wife and they traveled to the ends of the world. They were constant companions, and even more than saying he was the luckiest man, David would constantly profess his love for Mary to anyone who would listen, all the time, especially to their three boys.
David’s love for people and life remained constant, even as his health declined. He found joy in every moment and in the company of those around him. His legacy of kindness, commitment, and generosity lives on in the many lives he touched.
David always said he was the “luckiest man he knew,” but those who knew him may well have been the luckier ones.
May his memory be a blessing.
Donations in David’s memory are welcome to Congregation Rodef Sholom and to the Rotary Club of San Rafael or the charity of your choice. Please email Michael [email protected] if you would like to make a David Rabb memorial donation to the Rotary Club of San Rafael.
Lila S. Rich
Sept. 12, 1933–Feb. 16, 2025
Lila passed away peacefully at home on Feb. 16, 2025, at the age of 91.
Born Lila Joan Sankowich on Sept. 12, 1933, to Sam and Sarah Sankowich, Lila was a second-generation San Franciscan who grew up in the Sea Cliff neighborhood and spent most of her life in the city she loved. She graduated from Washington High School and then attended UC Berkeley, which she graduated from in 1955, a Phi Beta Kappa and member of the Torch and Shield Society. In 1956, she married Neville Rich, and together they raised four children in the Jordan Park neighborhood of San Francisco.
Lila was a strong proponent of public education and insisted her children go to public school, even as busing was initiated and others fled the system. After her children were all in school, Lila went back to school herself to get her teaching credential, and was a substitute teacher in San Francisco public schools for a number of years before focusing her time as a commercial property manager. Throughout her entire life, well into her 70s, Lila was always giving back to the community, volunteering for organizations such as the PTA, Hadassah, Israel Bonds, Temple Emanu-El and UC Berkeley, where she served on the Foundation Board, the Alumni Association Board and as Class of ’55 Reunion Chair. A true Cal fan, she rarely missed a Big Game, always decked out in blue and gold.
Lila cared dearly for, and stayed connected to, her large group of close friends, some of whom date back to Alamo Elementary School. She gave so much to, and received such support from, her lifelong girlfriends over the decades. Most of all, though, family was her first priority. Lila took great joy in seeing her children and grandchildren grow up — often visiting those who moved away and taking all the grandchildren to Washington, D.C., in their tween years. Not only was she the strong and proud matriarch of her immediate family, but she also kept the larger Sankowich clan together after her mother’s death, hosting most extended family gatherings and maintaining Jewish traditions. Lila was famous for her matzo balls and homemade gefilte fish but most of all — her leftovers, and the red, white and blue Jello for 4th of July in Sonoma.
Neville and Lila were married for 64 years before his passing in 2020. Lila was preceded in death by her brother Lloyd and sister-in-law Antoinette. She is survived by her brother Lee, children Edward (Sharon), Andrew (Michelle), Juli (Michael) and Dan (Abbie), nephew Matt (Lisa), daughter-in-law Laurie Miller, her eleven grandchildren: Hannah, Becca, Kellan, Gregory, Nicole, James, Maya, Davis, Elana, Carly and Josh, as well as four great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She was loved dearly by her family and will be missed by all whose lives she touched.
If you wish to honor Lila’s memory with a donation, please consider the Rich Family Achievement Award at UC Berkeley (fund W7962), or the charity of your choice.