Dr. Eric H. "Pop-Pop" Sawitz

Eric H. Sawitz, 76, passed away unexpectedly on January 16, 2026. A beloved husband of 47 years, a devoted father, an adoring grandfather ("Pop-Pop"), and unrivaled father-in-law, Eric is remembered as a warm, loving, and generous family man.

Eric took a genuine interest in each person he met. Everyone was welcome at his dinner table, and there was always lively conversation and plenty of food. Those who were lucky enough to call him family, friend, or colleague knew Eric to be a deeply moral, caring, and inquisitive man, who also delighted in playing devil's advocate, and being the butt of the joke for his wife and daughters.

Born March 17, 1949 to Peter and Ilse Sawitz, Eric grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, along with his older brother, Allen, and his younger sister, Ina.

Eric headed north for college, graduating from Brandeis University in 1971, and then Boston University Medical School in 1976. He spent more than 40 years as a primary care physician, including a decade as the Chief of Internal Medicine at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates in Braintree. Dr. Sawitz was beloved by his colleagues and patients, many of whom he treated for decades.

For all his career accomplishments, however, family was the true center of Eric's universe. He and Gail met at a party in Boston in 1974, and married in 1978. They would spend the next decade living throughout the country including Boston, Worcester, West Virginia, and San Francisco, where their eldest daughter, Nicole Elisa, was born in 1984. In 1986, they permanently moved back to the Boston area and welcomed Beth Paula into the world.

The family settled in Needham in 1987, and they spent the next 35 years building a wonderful home and life. There were bagels on Saturday mornings, bike rides on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, Gail's famous green pistachio cake on Eric's birthday, Passover Seders in New Jersey with his cousins, and treasured family vacations all over the world. Eric loved being a dad, and he took true joy in being Pop-Pop to his grandsons, Nolan and Joel.

Cape Cod was the family's happy place, with many perfect summer days spent at Schoolhouse Pond in Chatham and Marconi Beach in Wellfleet. There was nothing Pop-Pop loved more than having everybody gathered on the Cape, where he relished playing host, making family Dunkin' runs every morning, manning the grill, playing with his grandsons, watching Red Sox and Patriots games, and sitting around the firepit making s'mores at night. The family will cherish these memories forever.

In his spare time, Eric was an avid reader and lifelong learner, enjoyed dinners with Gail and their friends, and played in his weekly Thursday night poker game with "the boys" for nearly 40 years.

He is survived by his wife, Gail, brother, Allen, daughter, Nicole and her husband Andrew, and daughter, Beth and her husband Brian, and their sons, Nolan and Joel

May his memory be a blessing.

Funeral service will be held on Friday January 23, 2026, at 11:30 am at Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington Street, Newton MA. Interment to follow at Boylston Lodge Cemetery, 776 Baker St., West Roxbury and shiva at Waterford's Family Restaurant, 2 Bridge St. Dedham, MA immediately after. Shiva will also be held on Sunday, February 1, 2026 at Opus Newton, 777 Winchester St, Newton, MA from 3-6 pm with Minyan at 5 pm.

Gifts in memory of Eric may be directed to Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, where Eric's sister, Ina, lived for 47 years, until her passing in 2023.