Daniel Paul Whitney Lispi

December 13, 1948 - September 18, 2025 Dan Lispi grew up in Pico Rivera, skillfully traversing gang territory as a kid on his paper route. His paternal grandparents hailed from Italy, his maternal grandfather, from Germany, and his maternal grandmother was Yaqui Indian. He graduated from Cantwell High School in 1967. The love story between Dan and Linda began when he was 17 and she was 15 at the Battle of the Bands in Monterey Park in the Pedrini's Music Store parking lot when he was the drummer of the band Group Three. Dan studied philosophy at USC, hitch-hiked across the U.S. and into Mexico, and was an activist in the student moratorium against the war. He put himself through law school working construction, married Linda in 1973, and passed the bar in 1975. In 1978, they moved to Huntington Beach, their favorite beach where he would surf, and where they raised their kids, Michelle and Marc, in a cul-de-sac with over 15 kids. They were married for 52 years. As a father, Dan was a creator of over the top fun - birthdays with limousines and treasure hunts and ice sculptures; a Halloween raffle, where you could win $100, with a line out the door and around the block; and fantastical blankie rides and enchanted surprises from the "magic bunny." He was legendary, creating magical childhoods, not just for his own kids, but for their friends and kids in the neighborhood. As a lawyer, Dan was a pioneer in the workers' compensation field, pushing back against powerful insurance companies, setting new precedents on behalf of workers and their due process rights. Dan was extravagantly generous, especially when tipping minimum wage workers at the drive thru window. Anytime family and friends needed legal help, he never hesitated to get them out of difficult situations. He was known as "Snackman" to his honorary grandkids, and "Mano Negra" to his colleagues at the Law Office of Robin Jacobs. Dan was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic bladder cancer in October 2023, just a few months after celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary in Maui - their first trip to Hawaii together. He died less than two years later, on September 18, 2025 in his home of 47 years, taken care of by Linda, in the same room where he took care of his mother till her death. Forever a Trojan, he donated his body for research to the USC Keck School of Medicine. He was 76 years old. He loved the adventure of life. And he had a lot more magical fun to bring to this world. He said he wanted to be remembered as a "Lover of life, sports and literature: selfish but never to the point of overlooking the related equitable interests of others." In fact, he lived his whole life in the interest of others. Now You Know. (NYK was his pen name for his writings in the Cantwell High School newspaper)