Carl Neisser

Carl Neisser has departed this world at the age of 96. Despite his advanced age, he almost got the exit he desired after only a brief two-week illness in the hospital without having to leave the house he and his wife Pat built in Newport Beach almost 67 years ago.
Truly a child of the Jazz Age he loved permutations of this musical form his whole life Dad began life in a city, Milwaukee, WI, overseen by a Socialist mayor and in a country presided over by the decidedly non-Socialist, Calvin Coolidge. In today's highly charged political atmosphere, this is worth noting because Dad's friendships knew no political bounds.
As a boy growing up on the North Shore of Chicago, Dad focused on the things that mattered most to him, sports particularly tennis and basketball and schoolwork. WWII saw Dad enlisting in the Navy in June of '44, training for a year as a radio technician, followed by a year of duty in the Philippines. Returning stateside in June of '46, Dad joined the thousands of servicemen who, empowered by the GI Bill, stormed the citadels of higher education and made the class of 1950 still the largest ever to graduate from many of them, Yale (where Dad went) included. After four years of courtship, while both were in college, Mom and Dad married in June of 1950, settling in L.A. where sons Rick and Ken were born, followed by son Drew after the family moved to Orange County in 1956. Our parents shared 64 lively years together until Mom's passing in 2014.
From 1950 to 1974, Dad honed his skills in marketing and sales at Beckman Instruments. Dad's thinking about business continued to evolve as well, and in the mid-70s, he exchanged corporate life for an entrepreneurial one. By the 1990s, his profile and reputation as an essential connector of professionals to both other professionals, and to cultural, civic, and community nonprofits had grown to such an extent that the phrases "You should call Carl" and "You need to see the Mayor of Orange County" were sufficient identifiers for one who had come to signify a uniter of people from across the spectra and a force for good in the wider world.
In the '70s, as the boys went off to college, Dad's interests expanded beyond family, sports, and business. He embraced Mom's passion for the arts and volunteered at the Newport Harbor Art Museum and South Coast Repertory Theater. In due course, he was asked to join the boards of both organizations and remained actively engaged with those organizations, and others such as Arts Orange County, virtually to the end of his life.
A signature and remarkable characteristic of Dad's was his ability to elicit and remember the activities and interests of family and friends, making them, never himself, the center of countless breakfast and lunch conversations. He also applied those talents as a tireless advocate for cultural, civic, and community nonprofits, enjoying great success as an enlister of others in the betterment of their communities.
Dad's circle of friends and admirers truly spanned the political spectrum. He rarely engaged in political arguments, preferring to hear, to question, to ponder, and to learn. He lived his life with an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a deep passion for connecting with others. Embodying the values of kindness, generosity, and inclusivity, Dad will be remembered as long as there are memories and generations to share them with.
Dad's example reminds us of the importance of living a life filled with enthusiasm, effervescence, and boundless curiosity. He showed us that no matter our age, we can continue to learn, to grow, and to better the world around us. If you'd like to honor his memory, we would direct you to The Seneca Family of Agencies or your favorite nonprofit. Vigorous, caring, and engaging for nine and a half decades, Dad has left us with a treasure trove of memories that will keep us smiling while inspiring us to live our best lives. Dad was preceded in death by his wife Pat, his brother Ed and sister-in-law Judy, and Queen Elizabeth II. He leaves his sons Rick, Ken (Winifred), Drew (Linda), grandchildren Alexis (Jeremy1), Emma (Jeremy2), Nick (Lauren), and Carl, great-grandchildren Henry and Edie, niece Kate, and grandnephews IZ and Eddie.