Richard H. Friedman

Friedman, Richard H., D.D.S. Died October 14, 2004. Enduring a prolonged illness with patience, grace and little gestures of appreciation for the care given him, Dick was loved by those about him at the end just as he had all his life been loved by his own patients, staff, family and friends. Born in L.A. in 1919, he attended Manuel Arts H.S., UCLA, and USC Dental School. He served in Korea as Division Dental Surgeon of California's 40th Infantry Division establishing a Dental Clinic on the front lines under our own artillery fire for which he was awarded the Bronze Star and promoted to Major. His private practice was in Santa Monica and West L.A. He was a dentist's dentist and taught at U.S.C. Dental School. A beautiful pianist specializing in Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies, he also spoke Hungarian. He is survived by his wife, Shirley (nee Friedland) of 61 years, and two sons, Dr. Alan Friedman, also a dentist, of Pacific Palisades and West L.A., and Darryl Friedman, an accountant settled in Watsonville, CA to be near his wife, Merilee's family and apple orchards. His three grandchildren are Oliver Gabe Friedman of Oregon; Emily Marie Friedman and her husband Christian Gonzalez Diaz, whose three-year old Talu is Dick's great-grandchild; Justin Friedman and Justin's mother, Diana Friedman Guth; and good faithful friends, Claire Bethea Lakin and Victor Goldstein. Without their love and devotion this ordeal would have been so much harder than it was. The loving and skilled nursing of the John Douglas French Center for Alzheimer's Disease in Los Alamitos has been a Blessing Beyond Belief. Its staff has earned our Forever Thanks. Thanks, too, to all who have kept in touch and given emotional support. We are relieved that our beloved Dick is released from the long imprisonment of Alzheimer's Disease, but it is very hard to imagine a world without his Sweet Presence. Please send any donations to: Friends of Alzheimer's Caregivers, 562-795-5679, or to UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, 310-825-8908. Funeral Services, 1:00 PM, Monday, October 18, 2004 at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park, 5950 Forest Lawn Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90068.