Obituaries are supported by a generous grant from Sinai Memorial Chapel.
David Allen Culiner
Aug. 12, 1961–June 8, 2025
In loving memory of David Allen Culiner (born Aug. 12, 1961), who succumbed to undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma on June 8, 2025, at age 63. Dave was diagnosed in early 2021 and defied the odds for four years, battling this brutal cancer. He will be remembered as a kind, gentle, polite, charismatic, charming, loving son, brother, friend, and most treasured title of Uncle. Dave touched the lives of so many. He had a special way to make people feel like they were his very best friend, whether they knew Dave for 50 years or just a few. He listened, he advised, and cared deeply for his community.
Born and raised in Burlingame, CA, Dave attended Mills High School before moving down to Southern California to attend San Diego State for college. Once there, he made a life for himself, living in San Diego, Malibu and Santa Monica for the past 40+ years. We were fortunate to have Dave home with us in San Mateo for a month, when he was able to spend quality time with those he loved.
Dave put so much love and kindness out to the universe. Dave never failed to greet a homeless person in the street, he was polite even while in extreme pain, and he deeply touched those who knew him for as little as a few days to those with whom he had lifelong relationships.
His music and writing brought him so much joy, both in the creation of and recording of his songs, as did the treasured relationships he built through the process. His impact was great with the creation of his brand, LoveThisLife. So moved by his words on his manifesto, he never stopped getting notes from strangers around the world who shared their challenges and their wins with him. Dave touched thousands and thousands of people, changing their lives, if even just for a moment when reading his poetic words.
Dave’s greatest joy was in being an uncle. He loved his nieces and nephews fiercely and was so proud of each of them. Nothing made Dave happier than time spent, a conversation held and/or a memory created with them.
Dave was preceded in death by his father, Morris “Mike” Culiner. He leaves behind his mother, Edie Culiner, sister Lael Culiner (Josh Smith), sister Anne Sipes (David Sipes), brother Marc Culiner, his nephews, Michael Sipes and Drew Smith, and his nieces, Arianna Smith and Danielle Sipes.
Dave’s passing will leave a deep void in our lives, but the love he shared will always be with us.
Those wishing to honor David, please donate to Stand Up to Cancer, an organization close to David and LoveThisLife’s heart. Stand Up to Cancer (standuptocancer.org), 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1400, Los Angeles, CA 90024.
Suse Eva Daniel
1933–2025
On May 31, 2025, Suse Eva Daniel passed away peacefully in her home at the age of 92 years old. Suse was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1933, where she was raised by her family during the Second World War.
As a child, she was hidden during the Second World War and spent much of her childhood shuttled to different locations in Germany, including an extended stay in Lindau, where her aunts owned a tavern. Her own father was exiled in Shanghai, China, during the war, as a Jewish refugee. After the war, Suse studied nursing in Berlin, and came to the United States in the mid-1950s with the support of various Jewish organizations and families.
She lived in San Francisco, and worked as a nurse at Mount Zion Hospital, where she met Dr. Emile Daniel, who became her beloved husband for over 60 years. They raised a family, were active members in the local Jewish community, and settled permanent roots in the city.
Suse was an active person who loved nature and the outdoors. She enjoyed painting, hiking, skiing, swimming, tennis, and walking around her beloved Blue Heron Lake. She and her husband were long-standing members of the symphony, opera, and other local museums and charities. Suse is remembered as a compassionate person, who continues to inspire members of her family with her positive spirit.
Her love of family served as a center to her life, especially in her later years. She is survived by her two children, Janice and Andrew, and her three grandchildren, Zoe, David, and Ethan, who will all miss her greatly.
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Eleanore Louise Rudner Greenberg
May 15, 1936–June 16, 2025
Eleanore Louise Rudner Greenberg passed away peacefully at the age of 89 on June 16, 2025, in San Francisco, California.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, to Marion and Edward Rudner, Eleanore graduated from Central High School, then Wayne State University, where she majored in education and discovered a lifelong passion for teaching. She moved to California in her mid-twenties, ultimately making San Francisco her home.
In 1961, she met Dr. Burton J. Greenberg, and after a whirlwind romance, they were married in August 1963 — a union that would last over six decades.
Eleanore was a voracious reader, a gifted knitter and needlepointer, loved music and playing folk guitar. She treasured long family summer adventures, camping across the American West and Canada, especially at Chapman Creek Campground in the Tahoe National Forest.
She taught English and Social Studies for many years at Brandeis Hillel Day School in Marin, where she was a mentor and inspiration to students and colleagues.
She is survived by her devoted husband, Burt; her beloved children, Michael (Adrienne Verrilli) and Stephanie; her adored granddaughter, Stella Rose Gallagher; beloved nieces and nephews; and a wide circle of dear friends and former students whose lives she touched deeply. She was the sister of the late Professor Lawrence Rudner and Dr. Earl Rudner.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the ACLU of San Francisco or the SF-Marin Food Bank.
Sinai Memorial Chapel | (415) 921-3636
Sandra Walpole Handler
Sept. 5, 1936–June 18, 2025
Sandra Handler (born Walpole) died peacefully in her home in San Francisco on June 18. Born in Billings, Montana, Sandra was the younger of two children born to Erminie and James Walpole. After her father’s Cadillac dealership went bankrupt to a sudden hailstorm and a partner’s insurance fraud, James moved his family to Los Angeles where Sandra spent her childhood. In high school she played the tympani, and while attending Stanford University, she was briefly a member of the archery team. She received her Master’s in Education from Harvard and worked as the Entertainment Director for a cruise line which regularly tossed silverware overboard.
For many years she worked for SFUSD as a special education teacher. She primarily worked with hearing-impaired children and was conversant in both ASL and lipreading, and continued to dedicate herself to the hearing-impaired community and increased access for all students at public schools. She began her career at City College of San Francisco as a part-time instructor, eventually rising to Dean of Behavioral and Social Sciences, taking deep pride in her work and her colleagues with whom she built strong and friendly networks. Her 2003 retirement earned her a Sandra Handler Day from the City of San Francisco for her years of public service.
Family and friends were always important to Sandra. She raised two children and helped raise three grandchildren, all of whom graduated from San Francisco public schools. She remained friends with people from high school, college, graduate school, mothers’ groups, book clubs, various workplaces and the PTA. She had a long and successful marriage to Louis Handler, with whom she explored shared interests in travel and opera, and enjoyed a proud involvement together with Congregation Sherith Israel. She talked to people wherever she went, and everyone loved her. Her long illness gathered an enormous amount of support, and the family is grateful for her wonderful caregivers.
Sandra liked gin — both the card game and the beverage. She loved long walks, movies, and the New Yorker. She could always tell a funny story, offer advice, and help a friend in trouble. She would hop on a plane and go anywhere in the world to see the people she loved best, and she would come home with souvenirs and gossip for everyone she left back at home. She is survived by her children, Daniel and Rebecca, their spouses, Lisa Brown and David Andrade, her grandchildren Otto, Willa and Simone, her loving and loyal extended family, and Edna, the last in a line of happy dogs.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Parents for Public Schools (SF) or Congregation Sherith Israel.
Sinai Memorial Chapel | (415) 921-3636
Esther Mester
Nov 29, 1938–May 16, 2025
Esther Mester (Chana Esther) passed away peacefully on Lag B’Omer, at the age of 86, after living with advanced dementia for several years.
Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, Esther was the daughter of Polish Jewish immigrants who settled in Canada before World War II. Yiddish was her first language, and Jewish identity and heritage were central to her life. Her family’s history was deeply shaped by the Holocaust: while her parents escaped the devastation by moving to Canada before WW2, many of their relatives did not. Esther’s mother’s three brothers left Poland early – two of them teaching in Jewish schools in Havana, Cuba, and writing for the Yiddish newspaper there. Her father brought one of his brothers to Canada before the war but tragically lost most of his large family – including ten siblings and their spouses and children. The youngest sibling, Chairna, miraculously survived and was later reunited with her two brothers in Canada.
Esther had a warm, outgoing personality and a deep love for Yiddishkeit, music, and family. A talented musician, she played both piano and accordion and loved to lead Jewish sing-alongs at community gatherings. She earned her degree in music from McGill University, where she met and married Sol Mester, a Jewish immigrant from Dairen (now Dalian), China, a unique Russian-Jewish enclave. Both McGill graduates, Esther and Sol began married life in Canada, with Esther teaching music and math and Sol working as an engineer. She took great delight in her rhyming name – “Esther Mester” – which she proudly embraced, and which perfectly captured her playful and spirited personality.
Her life with Sol took them across the globe: to Connecticut, where their son Ron was born, and to Tokyo, Japan, where they welcomed their daughter Deborah. Eventually, the family settled in Los Angeles, though Esther and Sol later divorced.
Esther continued to grow both professionally and personally. She returned to school, earned her CPA license, and worked for many years as a Sales Tax Auditor for the State of California. She valued her independence, maintained strong friendships, and cherished her role as bubbe above all else.
In 2004, Esther moved to Foster City to be closer to her children and grandchildren. She brought joy and energy to their lives — reading countless library books to Noah and Sarah, cheering them on at special events, and accompanying them to swim lessons and Hebrew school, as well as celebrating all the Jewish holidays together. Her presence was a constant source of warmth and encouragement.
In addition to her family, Esther had a deep and abiding love for Israel, which held a special place in her heart. When her children were in college, she brought them on a trip there, sharing her connection to the land, its history, and its spiritual significance. That connection was deeply personal, as her grandfather (a rabbi) is buried on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.
Esther is survived by her daughter Deborah Mester, her son Ron Mester (Liz), and her beloved grandchildren: Noah and Sarah (children of Deborah), and Rachel and Emma (children of Ron and Liz). Her vibrant spirit, fierce love of family, and musical soul will be deeply missed.
May her memory be for a blessing.