Zanville “Zan” Samuel Green, 94, of Los Angeles, CA, beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and uncle, passed away on November 25, 2025.
Zan was born in San Francisco on July 26, 1931, to Phillip and Frances (née Diller) Green. He and his elder brother Ed grew up in the Marina District just beside the San Francisco Bay. Zan spoke fondly of chasing the ducks at the Palace of Fine Arts, eating sandwiches at Lucca’s Deli, and walking across the Golden Gate Bridge the day that it opened.
He attended Winfield Scott Elementary School, Marina Junior High School, and then Lowell High School before going on to the School of Business Administration at the University of California, Berkeley. He was a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. Zan graduated in 1953 having earned his Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Real Estate.
A lifelong fan of warm weather, Zan moved to Los Angeles after college. He began his career as a real estate appraiser at the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office in 1956. He would move on to State Mutual Savings & Loan in 1964, and then to Union Bank in 1969. In 1971 he opened his own appraisal firm, which he ran until his retirement in 1995. He was a member of the Appraisal Institute and participated in various committees for its Southern California Chapter.
Zan married Joelle Sherwood in 1957. They raised their sons, Jeff and Ron, in Van Nuys. The two sons fondly remember their dad’s attentiveness and support, and his wonderful sense of humor. He coached the boys’ baseball teams and was there for every sports game and music concert. He took the family to Yosemite every year to the UC Berkeley “Lair of the Bear” camp. Although Zan and Joelle parted ways in 1975, they remained cordial over the decades to celebrate holidays and special occasions together with their sons and their families.
In 1979 Zan married Louise Herman. They moved to Seattle, WA in 1995. In 2000 they went their separate ways and Zan returned to the San Fernando Valley, where he would live for the rest of his life. Zan also shared happy, long-term partnerships at various points over the decades with Helene “Cookie” Benson, Audrey Gold, and Rheda Gomberg.
Zan maintained a highly active lifestyle until his nineties. He loved to swim, play tennis, and ride his bicycle. He was an avid fan of the LA Dodgers. A history buff and political enthusiast, he paid close attention to current events and cared deeply for his country. (He even surprised his grandchildren by falling in love with the musical “Hamilton.”)
He was proudly Jewish and volunteered for many years with Los Angeles Jewish Health, supporting the elderly in his community with conversation and companionship. Zan was also active in the National Stuttering Association and served as a leader of the LA/SFV chapter in the early-2000s. He was open about his personal struggle with stuttering, but it never held him back, and he was passionate about helping others to overcome this challenge.
Zan enjoyed learning about other cultures through world travel, art, and books. Over the course of his life he visited many countries, including Egypt, Israel, France, Mexico, Spain, Ireland, and more. He was never more himself, however, than basking in the California sunshine, reading the LA Times, eating a pastrami on rye.
Most of all, Zan loved his sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Immensely proud of each of them, he came to every birthday party, graduation, and special event. He filled his iPad with family photos and never tired of looking them over. His words of encouragement and care will not be forgotten, nor will the quirks, strong opinions, and sharp wit who made him the remarkable person he was.
Zan is lovingly remembered by his sons Jeff (Annie) and Ron (Rebecca), his grandchildren Jessica (Dave), Stephanie (Kyle), Josh (Mel), and Sarah (Gabe), his five great-grandsons Caleb, Seth, Nathan, Judah, and Jonah, his brother Edmund (Debby), his niece Diane and many cousins in the extended Green and Diller families. Zan’s family would like to thank all the staff who cared for him at Los Angeles Jewish Health in Reseda, CA as well as the Royal Oaks Inn in Thousand Oaks, CA.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the National Stuttering Association in Zan’s name.
Zan was born in San Francisco on July 26, 1931, to Phillip and Frances (née Diller) Green. He and his elder brother Ed grew up in the Marina District just beside the San Francisco Bay. Zan spoke fondly of chasing the ducks at the Palace of Fine Arts, eating sandwiches at Lucca’s Deli, and walking across the Golden Gate Bridge the day that it opened.
He attended Winfield Scott Elementary School, Marina Junior High School, and then Lowell High School before going on to the School of Business Administration at the University of California, Berkeley. He was a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. Zan graduated in 1953 having earned his Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Real Estate.
A lifelong fan of warm weather, Zan moved to Los Angeles after college. He began his career as a real estate appraiser at the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office in 1956. He would move on to State Mutual Savings & Loan in 1964, and then to Union Bank in 1969. In 1971 he opened his own appraisal firm, which he ran until his retirement in 1995. He was a member of the Appraisal Institute and participated in various committees for its Southern California Chapter.
Zan married Joelle Sherwood in 1957. They raised their sons, Jeff and Ron, in Van Nuys. The two sons fondly remember their dad’s attentiveness and support, and his wonderful sense of humor. He coached the boys’ baseball teams and was there for every sports game and music concert. He took the family to Yosemite every year to the UC Berkeley “Lair of the Bear” camp. Although Zan and Joelle parted ways in 1975, they remained cordial over the decades to celebrate holidays and special occasions together with their sons and their families.
In 1979 Zan married Louise Herman. They moved to Seattle, WA in 1995. In 2000 they went their separate ways and Zan returned to the San Fernando Valley, where he would live for the rest of his life. Zan also shared happy, long-term partnerships at various points over the decades with Helene “Cookie” Benson, Audrey Gold, and Rheda Gomberg.
Zan maintained a highly active lifestyle until his nineties. He loved to swim, play tennis, and ride his bicycle. He was an avid fan of the LA Dodgers. A history buff and political enthusiast, he paid close attention to current events and cared deeply for his country. (He even surprised his grandchildren by falling in love with the musical “Hamilton.”)
He was proudly Jewish and volunteered for many years with Los Angeles Jewish Health, supporting the elderly in his community with conversation and companionship. Zan was also active in the National Stuttering Association and served as a leader of the LA/SFV chapter in the early-2000s. He was open about his personal struggle with stuttering, but it never held him back, and he was passionate about helping others to overcome this challenge.
Zan enjoyed learning about other cultures through world travel, art, and books. Over the course of his life he visited many countries, including Egypt, Israel, France, Mexico, Spain, Ireland, and more. He was never more himself, however, than basking in the California sunshine, reading the LA Times, eating a pastrami on rye.
Most of all, Zan loved his sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Immensely proud of each of them, he came to every birthday party, graduation, and special event. He filled his iPad with family photos and never tired of looking them over. His words of encouragement and care will not be forgotten, nor will the quirks, strong opinions, and sharp wit who made him the remarkable person he was.
Zan is lovingly remembered by his sons Jeff (Annie) and Ron (Rebecca), his grandchildren Jessica (Dave), Stephanie (Kyle), Josh (Mel), and Sarah (Gabe), his five great-grandsons Caleb, Seth, Nathan, Judah, and Jonah, his brother Edmund (Debby), his niece Diane and many cousins in the extended Green and Diller families. Zan’s family would like to thank all the staff who cared for him at Los Angeles Jewish Health in Reseda, CA as well as the Royal Oaks Inn in Thousand Oaks, CA.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the National Stuttering Association in Zan’s name.
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