October 17, 1934—January 25, 2012
Dick possessed a rare combination of intelligence, integrity, a generous heart and a deep love of life. He grew up in Hyde Park, Ill. the son of Irving and Silvia Senn. He attended and graduated the University of Chicago Lab School, Swarthmore College, the University of Chicago Law School and later Harvard Business School. He believed in the value of education, remaining involved with Swarthmore College throughout his life — fundraising, organizing reunions and interviewing prospective students.
Dick Senn was born Oct. 17, 1934, in Chicago and died peacefully in the arms of his beloved wife Barbara on Jan. 25, 2012, in Sonoma at the age of 77. He was as focused and disciplined on “beating” cancer as he was in his life with any other project he took on. The secret to his living well beyond any statistical probability was his fierce love of life and his strong indomitable spirit.
Dick’s adventurous spirit led him to live and work as far afield as Geneva, Switzerland, Pakistan and Southeast Asia. He loved to reach across cultural boundaries to expose others to democracy and humanistic values. After graduating from law school, he did a stint with United States Information Services in Karachi, Pakistan, where he quickly realized he didn’t belong in bureaucracy. He traveled through Southeast Asia selling mutual funds to Americans, and on to Saigon, Vietnam, before the war, where he developed and built the country’s first two large hotels.
He joined and grew Investors Overseas Service (IOS) as VP of Marketing Services in Geneva, Switzerland. While there, he became publisher of the Geneva Weekly Tribune. When he returned to the States, he applied his entrepreneurial skills as president and owner of a variety of innovative companies in computer software, health aids, solar heating panels, and started a malpractice insurance company for cosmetic surgeons. After he moved to Pacific Palisades, Calif., he began real estate development projects, which extend to the present day.
Wherever he worked, he brought the same integrity, intelligence, love of problem solving, and abundant creativity to the table. He was a true individual in the highest sense in that he did not care what others thought of him as long as he knew he was being fair. He called himself an “entrepreneurial gadfly.”
After what he called “a domestic reorganization” in 1991, he moved to Seattle, where he met Barbara Sachs via a Jewish personal ad in 1994. They married under a grove of oak trees on their property in Sonoma. He said, “Meeting Barbara was a life-defining event as I knew immediately we were “˜beshert.’ She became the love of my life.” As father of Mara and Tana, Dick took Barbara’s adult children, Deborah and Bradley, as his own.
In his personal and business dealings, Dick was known to be direct (speaking his truth in a matter-of-fact way), kind, warm, optimistic and generous of time and expertise. As he prospered, it was his priority to give back, be active in the Jewish communities where he lived, and to sit on boards.
Dick had a wacky streak, a beautiful smile, a generous heart and a dry sense of humor. Idiosyncratic, he wore cargo pants and shirts, a white cowboy hat, and followed disciplined exercise regimes. He loved chocolate as much as quality products, be it hardwood floors, new gadgets, or fine food.
Despite his well-traveled life, he was a homebody at heart, settling into the home he built with Barbara in Sonoma. Dick was a caring father and grandfather. Family and friends remember his love of cooking, especially his crepes, chocolate-chip matzoh pancakes, brisket, and chicken soup that he made with love, especially on Shabbat.
Dick worked for several political candidates, fundraising and getting out the vote. He was a deeply passionate political person. He believed campaign finance reform was the only way to change Washington. He would objectively explain why Democratic values and Democrats were the best direction for the nation so not only the few with money would benefit.
Dick is survived by his wife, Barbara Sachs-Senn; his children and their spouses, Mara (Chris), Tana (Kevin), Deborah (Robin) and Bradley (Amy); sister, Barbara Shapiro; grandchildren Noah, Sarah, Ben, Aaron, Rachel, Seth, Beatrice, Mira and his faithful cat Blackie.
He advocated and lived a life that was transformative. When asked, what is the most important thing in life, he responded “loving and relationships.”
Donations in honor of his life can be made to any of the following charities. Please note on donation “in memory of Dick Senn.” All are tax deductible. Dick Senn ’56 Scholarship Fund, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081; Commonweal Cancer Help Program Scholarship (CHP Scholarship), http://www.commonweal.org; EMET/The Pat That Helps
(a nonprofit Dick and Barbara created to provide small grants to individuals in need), 539 Broadway #D1, Sonoma, CA 95476.
Dick Senn
