ABRAHAM FRIEDMAN

FRIEDMAN ABRAHAM SOLOMON FRIEDMAN Loved for his warmth, sense of humor, and wisdom, Abraham Friedman died on September 18, 2017, a month shy of his 96th birthday. Having begun life as a poor kid from Brownsville, Brooklyn, he achieved much: a distinguished career as a scientist and diplomat, a great marriage and loving family, and the loyalty of friends and neighbors. Often, in the evening after a good meal, Abe would light his cigar and say with a measure of gratitude and satisfaction: "It's a good life." The youngest child of Israel Friedman and Sarah Cohen, Abe was a first-generation American whose first language was Yiddish. He earned his bachelor's degree in Chemistry at Brooklyn College in 1943 and immediately joined the war effort, where he soon began working as a research chemist on the Manhattan Project. After the war, he went to Ohio State University on the G.I. Bill, where he received his PhD in Physical Chemistry and met the love of his life, Diana Elena Scott, a Chilean international student. In 1951, Abe went to Amsterdam as a Fulbright postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Amsterdam. He learned Dutch, lived with a Dutch family, and made lifelong friends in the scientific community. It was a city he referred to fondly all his life, for it was also there that he and Diana got married, on the Fourth of July. Upon their return to the US, Abe worked first at the National Bureau of Standards, and then the Atomic Energy Commission. He was the AEC European representative in Paris (1962-1965) and then director of international affairs. In the 1970's, he joined the State Department where he served as science counselor in U.S. Embassies in Mexico City, Bonn, and Paris. Abe was awarded the National Order of Merit from the French government in recognition of his work. He was an active member of the Cosmos Club. Abe and Diana shared a loving marriage for 62 years, until her death in 2014. Together they led an adventurous life, traveling the world, raising four daughters, and enjoying wonderful friendships. Abraham Friedman is lovingly remembered and survived by his four daughters, Danielle Michelman (David), Rebecca Stanger (Jordan), Abigail Friedman (Eric Passaglia) and Michelle D'Elia (Peter); 11 grandchildren, Sarah Lo (Lewis), Ariel Michelman-Ribeiro (Arthur), Dinah Michelman, Aviva Michelman-Dumas, Nina Schroth (Nick), Nathaniel Stanger, Abraham Passaglia, Martha Passaglia, Samuel Passaglia, Rachel Brzowsky (Kris), and Benjamin D'Elia; and his seven great-grandchildren, Isaac, Raphael, Jonah, and Dalia Lo, and Daniel, David, and Miriam Diana Ribeiro. A memorial celebration will be held on a date to be determined. Donations may be made in Abraham Friedman's name to the Jewish Social Service Agency (jssa.org) or So Others Might Eat (some.org).