Edwin Ira Peskowitz

04/24/1944 - 02/22/2026

On Sunday, February 22, 2026, Edwin Ira Peskowitz died peacefully surrounded by his family in Washington, DC. He was born in Brooklyn, NY on April 24, 1944 and raised there by his parents, Adele and Sam Peskowitz. He was the devoted husband of Penelope Peskowitz; beloved father to Zachary Peskowitz (Suhas Sridharan) and Olivia Peskowitz Suter (Will Suter); loving twin brother of Alan Peskowitz; proud grandfather of Sophie Suter, Adiraj Peskowitz, Roy Suter, and Vikram Peskowitz. He was tremendously loved by his family and those who had the honor of knowing him.
Ed graduated from James Madison High School in Brooklyn and played varsity baseball at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he majored in history and political science. He served in the 25th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army and was stationed in the Republic of Vietnam from March 1968 to February 1969, where he received the Vietnam Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, and Bronze Star Medal. After his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army, Ed went on to earn a master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
After working as a speechwriter and legislative analyst for independent petroleum marketers, Ed co-founded United Communications Group in 1977 with Bruce Levenson. The company started as a single newsletter covering the oil industry and grew to provide specialized business information and databases for a wide set of industries from healthcare to telecommunications to military contracting and everything in between.
Ed loved reading, music, movies, travel, politics, and, most of all, spending time with his family. He was extremely passionate about sports and was a co-owner of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, NHL's Atlanta Thrashers, and, at the time of his death, a limited partner in the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.
He was an executive producer of the award-winning documentary, The Dream Whisperer, about the three-time national championship Tennessee A&I men's basketball team and its team captain Dick Barnett's quest to be recognized for its accomplishments. The team and Ed had the honor of being welcomed to the White House by Vice President Kamala Harris in April 2024 to celebrate the team.
Ed was an extremely generous man who touched the lives of many. Over the course of his life, he and his wife supported local educational initiatives, such as the I Have a Dream Foundation and the SEED Public Charter School. Ed was passionate about promoting Middle Eastern peace and supported numerous causes in the region aimed at building understanding between various cultures and religions and he created the Friendship Games to encourage this among young athletes. He was a supporter of the Anti-Defamation League, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the University of Maryland.
Ed suffered from renal disease and was given the gift of life by an altruistic kidney donation in 2019. Ed devoted the last years of his life to creating and supporting philanthropic efforts, such as the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation, Kidney Transplant Collaborative, and Kidneys for Communities, to encourage living kidney donation and improve matches between potential donors and recipients.
Funeral services will be held at 9 am on Thursday, February 26 at Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, DC, with burial to follow at Norbeck Memorial Park at 11 am. The family will sit shiva on Thursday, February 26 and Saturday, February 28. Memorial contributions may be made in his honor to Kidneys for Communities at kidneysforcommunities.org. Services entrusted to Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care.