Sidney I. Gravitz

Sidney I. GRAVITZ After a courageous yearlong battle with brain cancer, Sidney Isaac Gravitz passed away on April 21, 2006. He is survived by his devoted wife Phyllis, daughters Debbie and Liz, son-in-law Lawrence You, two precious grandsons Davis and Nolan, and loving mother-in-law Helen Bilgrad. Also surviving are two brothers, Herbert and Melvin, and their families. Sid was born to Philip and Sophie Gravitz in Baltimore, MD on June 28, 1932. As a young man, he worked his way through the Massachusetts Institue of Technology, earning bachelor's, master's, and professional degrees in aeronautical engineering. After serving in the United States Air Force, he embarked upon a distinguished 30-year career with Boeing, working on the Saturn/Apollo moon rocket and other spacecraft, AWACS, commercial aircraft software, and high-speed ground transportation. While assigned to the Saturn booster program in New Orleans, he met and married Phyllis. They moved to Mercer Island in 1966, where they raised their two daughters. Sid enjoyed a busy retirement, developing and testing software, building a classical music library, attending classes at the University of Washington, and traveling the world with Phyllis. A Memorial Service will be held at Temple De Hirsch Sinai, 1511 E Pike St., Seattle, on Sunday, April 30 at 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, those who wish to make donations in Sid's memory may do so to the Kline Galland Home, 7500 Seward Park South, Seattle 98118, or to Providence Hospice of Seattle, 425 Pontius Ave N, Suite 300, Seattle 98109. The family thanks these organizations for their compassionate care and support during his illness.