Maurice Dunie
Maurice Robert Dunie, of Rockville, died on Dec. 4. He was the beloved husband of the late Sonya Elaine Dunie, to whom he was married 60 years; devoted father of Vida Dunie, Justin (Deborah) Dunie and Matthew (Elaine) Dunie; and loving grandfather of Brett Dunie Neustadt, Nicholas Dunie, Rachel Dunie, Hannah Dunie, Samantha Dunie and Alexandra Dunie. Contributions may be made to a charity of choice.
Maurice “Morrey” R. Dunie was a long time Washingtonian. Mr. Dunie had two full careers: journalist and litigator. Dunie started as a copy boy for the Washington Times-Herald at age 15 and started reporting sports and news by age 17, ultimately writing thousands of stories of which 40 ran on the front page. After serving in the U.S. Army in Korea and completing his undergraduate degree at Georgetown, Dunie started with the Washington Post in 1952 as a general assignment reporter. He covered federal and local courts in DC and reported most major trials and appellate cases through 1957 including the Hoffa trials, McCarthy related perjury cases, and murder cases. From time to time he was assigned local “soft news” coverage. It was during his coverage of a local hotel worker’s strike in 1952 where he met is bride of 60 years, Sonya E. Dunie. Coincidentally, the night they met (September 24), he wrote a front-page story which appeared in the Post on September 25, detailing the status of a potential agreement to the Hotel Worker’s strike.
Among his most impactful news stories was published in the Washington Times-Herald in 1949 detailing the “haunts” a teenage boy suffered in Washington D.C. and the ensuing parapsychology and religious rituals which became the basis of the book and movie series The Exorcist. That story garnered national attention after Dunie broke it, as it was presented in the American Psychology Association convention in 1949. Coincidently, the book’s author and Dunie were students at Georgetown University at the same time, but did not meet until years later when Dunie was interviewed for background of the novel.
Dunie attended law school at night while working at the Post and officially transitioned careers after his appointment as the Assistant US Attorney in the District of D.C. in 1958. He also served as Deputy General Counsel for Department of Commerce and then in private practice, primarily as a litigator in personal injury, libel, and securities cases. While working for Commerce under President Johnson he negotiated legislation which enabled the placement of road signs on Interstate Highways in the 1960’s, but demanded the signs be free of any segregationist establishments or restrictions. The stories he told of those tense negotiations were inspirational, requiring work through holiday weekends to ensure what he believed was right under the law did in fact become law. Other notable cases he litigated in public and private practice included representing the DNC in civil suits stemming from the Watergate break-in, barring any change in new car automobile window stickers, upholding the rights of doctors to make medical decisions (as opposed to hospital administrators), and other consumer and criminal negligence case. Dunie was elected a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), which is limited to 1% of lawyers, in 1980 for his achievements, honesty, and integrity in trial.
Dunie served on the board of social service non-profits for years, primarily the Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA), Jewish Federation of greater Washington, and Holy Cross Health Foundation. He was President of the JSSA from 1976-1978 and in 1984 was awarded the JSSA’s Joseph Ottenstein Award outstanding community service. The Ottenstein award and membership at the ACTL were among his two most treasured accomplishments in life outside of his service to his country and his family.
Dunie was a major baseball fan of the Washington Nationals, all DC area professional teams and Georgetown University basketball teams. Dunie served in the US Army, Foreign Service and US Army Reserves attaining the rank of Captain. Dunie is succeeded by 3 children and 6 grandchildren.
Thomas G. Echikson
Thomas G. Echikson, of Potomac, died on Dec. 4. He was the beloved husband of Deborah Maisel; devoted father of Daniel and Alexander Echikson; loving brother of William Echikson; and brother-in-law of Anu Ristola.
Echikson was an attorney. During the Obama administration, he served as chief counsel of the Federal Highway Administration and his last position was of Counsel at Perkins Coie LLP. Contributions may be made to the Sibley Foundation in memory of Tom Echikson for GBM research. Services entrusted to Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg
Funeral Care.
Alan Fishman
Alan Donald Fishman, of Washington, died on Nov. 24. He was the beloved husband of JoEllen; cherished father of Donald (Sonya Schwartz) and Tena Fishman Frank (Blair Frank); loving grandfather of Jacob Frank, Sandy Frank, Sam Fishman and Harry Fishman.
Fishman worked at Sibley Hospital and Peoples Drug Stores, including Maxwell & Tennyson Pharmacy. An Army veteran, he graduated from Roosevelt High School and George Washington University. He was a member of Woodmont Country Club, where he was an avid tennis player, and Washington Hebrew Congregation.
He was a longtime Washington Capitals hockey fan and was recently profiled in a Washington Post piece regarding his son, a Capitals executive, bringing the Capitals’ Stanley Cup to Fishman in his final days. Contributions may be made to a charity of choice.
Services entrusted to Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care.
Phyllis Kasnett
Phyllis Eibender Kasnett, of Chevy Chase, died on Nov. 21. She was the beloved wife of the late Robert Kasnett, to whom she was married for 47 years; cherished daughter of the late Ellis and Rose Eibender; devoted and loving mother of Gary (late Ellen) and Kenny (Susan) Kasnett; sister of the late Evelyn Barsky; loving grandmother of Michele Schifrin, Lauren (Jon) Nearpass, Ruthie (Jared) Kasnett and Ethan Kasnett; loving great-grandmother of Hunter and Brody Schifrin, and Stevie and Crosby Nearpass.
She is survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins. Contributions may be made to JSSA Hospice.
Services entrusted to Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care.
Phyllis Kreizman
Phyllis Herson Kreizman, of Rockville, died on Dec. 2. She was the beloved wife of the late Bill Herson and the late Louis Kreizman; devoted mother of Ron (Debbie) Herson and the late Ed Herson; loving grandmother of Scott (Silvie), Emily (Salil), Mike (Heather), Brad and Dana; and great-grandmother of Julie, Sebastian and Lucas. Contributions may be made to JSSA Hospice.
Services entrusted to Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care.
Eugene Miller
Eugene Miller, of Silver Spring, died on Dec. 3. He was 95. Eugene was the beloved husband of Julia Miller; devoted father of Judith (Matthew) Sills and Stephen (Laura) Miller; loving grandfather of Evan Sills (Jessica Jones), Adam Sills, and David Miller and Alyssa Miller.
Eugene was a Holocaust survivor from Lodz, Poland. He came to America, where he graduated from Butler University in 1955. He received his Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Chicago in 1967 and became the chief of the FDA’s Bureau of Foods, Division of Toxicology’s Metabolism Branch
in Beltsville.
He was the president of B’nai B’rith Metropolitan Lodge in Kensington in 1979. He was awarded the FDA Equal Opportunity Achievement Award in 1981 and was a member of the
Jewish Residents of Leisure World and the Rossmoor Photography Club.
Eileen Zemil Rothenberg
Eileen Zemil Rothenberg, of Silver Spring, died on Dec. 5. She was the beloved wife of Bertram Rothenberg for 53 years; devoted mother of Steven Rothenberg (Shelley), of Rockville, and Gary Rothenberg (Wendy), of Ann Arbor, Mich.; adored grandmother of Danny, Jack, Jacob, Rachel, Evan and Allie; dear sister to Ruth Tuchman and Lee Zemil. Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org).
Services entrusted to Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care.
