Daniel L. Berman died on the morning of December 18th after a battle with Alzheimer's. He lived his life true to himself to the end, frank, mercurial and passionate, feared by some but loved by more. He never missed an opportunity to express his opinion and never tired of telling friends and family how much he loved them. His intelligence and energy astounded us.
Dan is survived by his best friend and former wife, Susan Berman and by his six daughters, Priscilla (Brian) Kaufman, Jane (John) Bourgeois, Katie (Wynn) Bailey, Sara (Jeff) Jensen, Heather (George) Mastakas, and Melinda (David) Lemke, as well as thirteen grandchildren (each of whom secretly believes he or she is his favorite), and one great grandson. He is also survived by his dearest friend, Renee Dykes.
He was a tough and demanding father who expected his six daughters to work hard and be self-reliant. He pushed us all and believed adamantly that women should be strong and independent, never seeing the irony that he also expected us to do exactly what he said. He taught us to strive to be our best selves, to be honorable, but never take ourselves too seriously.
Dan was born on December 14,1934 in Washington DC to Herbert Berman and Ruth N. Abramson. He grew up in Northeast Pennsylvania, and at the age of 15 hitchhiked West for a summer, where his love for the Rocky Mountains began. He graduated from Stroudsburg High School then attended Williams College, where he played football and lacrosse. He went on to earn his JD from Columbia University. He was elected to Law Review and graduated at the top of his class with classmate Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We firmly believe that the intellects of RBG and DLB are both unmatched.
While in law school, he married Ann Stevenson Berman, whom he had known since high school. Together they moved to Salt Lake City, Utah and started a family. Although their marriage ended, their lifelong friendship prospered. Dan was known to remark on Ann's grace and intelligence 40 years after they were divorced.
Dan began his legal career working as an associate in New York City at Chadbourne, Parke, Whiteside and Wolff before moving to Salt Lake City to teach law at the University of Utah. He served as a law clerk for Chief Judge Willis W. Ritter. In 1963, he opened his first law office. In those early years, he worked with Joe Alioto, one of the leading plaintiff antitrust lawyers in the US. Dan built a career as one of the most successful antitrust lawyers in the Intermountain West, handling complex and significant business litigation and was reported to be "one of Utah's most feared lawyers." Early in his career, he was second chair on the original Telex v. IBM trial that resulted in the largest civil verdict in the history of the United States at the time. Dan was lead counsel in more than125 antitrust cases and successfully tried 15 federal antitrust cases. He was a life member of the American Law Institute. During his long career, Dan mentored numerous young lawyers, judges, politicians and civic leaders.
While he had a strong spiritual core, that core was not defined by any one organized religion. Dan was proud of his Jewish heritage and had an enduring respect for the Mormon Church. In different capacities, Dan advised the Mormon Church, the Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church and numerous individuals and institutions.
Dan believed in public service. He served numerous institutions at varying times over the past fifty years including service as a member of the nominating committee of the Utah Appellate Courts, a member of the Salt Lake County Commission on New Form of Government, a member of the Board of Trustees for the Utah Transit Authority, a Trustee for the Salt Lake Art Center, a Board member of the Chamber of Commerce, and a Board member of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.
Active in politics, he was a delegate to the 1968 Democratic presidential nominating convention and the Utah Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in 1980. In addition, Dan worked to fund and support numerous politicians over the past fifty years including Calvin Rampton and Orrin Hatch. He proudly raised his daughters to be compassionate, tolerant liberals, but believed that what someone stood for mattered more than their party affiliation. As his own politics became more conservative, we spent many evenings arguing about public policy. We didn't always agree, but we weren't expected to because the ability to live in a world with multiple opinions and viewpoints was central to who Dan was.
Dan loved the West and taught his children to appreciate the grace of the mountains and the smell of white pine. He spent his free time relaxing at his ranch in Wyoming and hiking in the Canadian Rockies with close friends and family. He loved the wilderness, western art and a good bottle of red wine. He travelled extensively and took his children and grandchildren on some of the best adventures of their lives.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Julie, his grandson, Tate, and numerous close friends. We expect that they are together opening a bottle of heavenly Malbec and toasting us now.
He loved his dogs almost as much as his daughters and over a period of two decades raised many Great Danes. Oso, his last, predeceased him by 20 days.
We would like to express thanks to his caregivers and friends who supported him to the end.
Every time one of us walked in the door, he'd say "Hey baby child."We miss him deeply.
A service will be held at Larkin Memorial Chapel (260 East South Temple) on January 4th at 3pm. Following the service will be a reception at the Memorial House located at 375 N. Canyon Road.
Over the years, Dan supported numerous charities including the Utah Food Bank, Utah Humane Society, Huntsman Cancer Institute and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. In lieu of flowers, we encourage you to tell those dear to you that you love them and to make a donation to one of Dan's favorite charities or a charity of your choice.
