DANYA PLAW PELZMAN

DANYA PLAW PELZMAN
Beloved daughter, sister, cousin, wife, mother, aunt and cherished friend to many, many more, died unexpectedly one year ago today, August 16, 2017. Born in Vilka Viskis, Lithuania in 1931 to David and Ida Plaw, she emigrated with her parents to Canada in 1936 and settled in Kingston, Ontario, where she grew up and attended Queen's University. She moved to Cambridge, MA and studied w/ Walter Gropius at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, later decamping for New York City in the early 1950s, where she excelled in the production of graphics, commercial art and product design for Doyle Dane Bernbach. She married native Washingtonian Richard Pelzman in 1956, and after the birth of their two children the family moved to DC and settled in Bethesda in 1968. Personal style and a flair for creating stunning floral arrangements were catalysts in introducing her fresh perspective to Washington society. Her designs and interior concepts found their way into the homes of friends, colleagues and ultimately the corridors of power and politics. In 1976, First Lady Betty Ford asked her to design the White House dinner honoring Queen Elizabeth on the occasion of the Bicentennial visit, and other embassy and society assignments followed. She eventually came to focus her talents on creating living spaces - private homes, apartments, offices and commercial venues from Canada to Florida. Duke Zeibert's, Ted Liu's, Artie's and Richard's Pier 20 were just a few of her signature DC restaurant projects, and as the design coordinator for the Lafayette Centre on 20th St., NW, her elegant taste and eye for texture and color is destined to grace the downtown landscape for years to come. She was a marvelous cook and avid reader, loved flowers, colors, shapes, beach glass, shells, the New York Times crossword, Jeopardy, Coffee Crisp and Almond Joy candy bars and has left us a legacy of beauty, kindness and love that will endure.