David Frieder

DAVID FRIEDER   2/2/45 – 11/6/17

David “Dave” Frieder, polymath extraordinaire with that dark, wavy hair (even at 72), passed on peacefully at his home in Sonoma, California, on Nov. 6, 2017.

Born on Groundhog Day in Brooklyn, NY, Dave never retreated from his shadow or that of inclusion-body myositis, a condition that he precluded from defining the last 23 years of his life. He embraced every challenge right from the start: was a Little League star pitcher; finished high school at age 15; was hired by Bell Labs as a rocket scientist straight out of the Polytechnic Institute of NY, where he graduated with a B.S. degree in Math, magna cum laude; finished his M.A. in Math in 9 months at the University of Michigan; spent 2 years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia, where he learned to speak fluent Spanish; taught at various colleges and universities, including NYU; authored the bestselling “GMAT/GRE Math Review,” “SAT Math Workbook,” “Algebra Simplified and Self-Taught,” and “Clear and Simple Geometry”; co-founded Mathworks, the Math School for Adults in NYC, which evolved into a company that offered math skills training seminars at corporations, such as The NY Times, The New York Stock Exchange, Independence Blue Cross, Texas Instruments, The Chicago Board of Trade, Motorola, and various investment banks and retail chains; taught computer training to private clients; helped create Amnesty International’s website; volunteered with Gifted Hands; founded Cooking Club with a Cause; became a gourmet cook after taking classes at École Ritz Escoffier (Paris), La Chiusa (Umbria), and Peter Kump’s (NYC); took photography lessons all over France and learned to develop his own photos; learned the fine art of bookbinding, covered box making, and beeswax candle making; was a whiz at chess and Scrabble; played the guitar and dulcimer beautifully; edited and published the debut novel of his wife, Tilay (he learned Adobe InDesign overnight); and the list goes on.

Dave enjoyed planning trips (right down to the Michelin-starred restaurants) and traveling with Tilay at least four times a year to Europe, the Caribbean, a national park, and various B&B inns all over the U.S. He also looked forward to solving the NY Times Crosswords with Tilay after breakfast each morning. He is survived by his loving wife and partner in all things fun and creative, Tilay Angbetic Frieder; his first cousins, Nancy Diamond and Janice Diamond Ruef; his best friends, Mark Weinfeld and Billy Karp; and dear friends too numerous to mention. He is predeceased by his parents, Philip Frieder and Henriette Basof Frieder; his sister, Edna Frieder Rinehart; and his beloved tuxedo cats, Crayon and MilliePie.

A gathering to celebrate Dave’s life and legacy will be held at the Sonoma Valley Community Church on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017, at 1 pm, to be officiated by Pastor Art Matheny and Rabbi Steve Finley. A private reception catered by Ramekins will follow at Dave and Tilay’s home. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Dave’s memory to his favorite charities: Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, and the Sierra Club.

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