SETH ELAN

1956 - 2021

SETH ELAN  
Beloved husband, devoted father, caring son and brother, and fun-loving uncle, Seth Elan passed away on March 26, 2021 after an almost eight-month battle with brain cancer. Mr. Elan, a resident of Cleveland Park since 1988, was born September 10, 1956 in Kearny, NJ, to Sylvia and Irving (deceased) Elan. After earning an A.B. in German Literature from Princeton University in 1979, Seth's varied career took him from the National Security Agency, where he worked as a linguist, to the investment firm Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co., and to the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress, from which he retired in 2016. During these years, he also worked as a freelance journalist, publishing articles on financial topics in Kiplinger's Personal Finance and Community Banker Magazine. In retirement, Seth took on a busy second career as a written German-to-English translator, primarily working for a Hamburg, Germany-based firm. In his final year, he also completed an English translation of a novel by German writer Thomas Brussig. He was active in the Princeton Club of Washington, heading its Fiction Book Club for many years. An avid cyclist and hiker, Seth was happiest when trekking through the Bernese Alps near his summer home in Wengen, Switzerland. He also loved the splendor of the Arizona desert, spending many joyful vacations at his wife's family home in Phoenix, Arizona. Seth is survived by Janice, his wife of 32 years; son Nicholas; mother Sylvia; brother David (Ginny); three sisters-and brothers-in law, and six nieces and one nephew. A private burial took place on April 1, 2021 at Rock Creek Cemetery. A memorial gathering will be held at a later date.