Salem Spitz

Salem Spitz of Gilbert, AZ, passed away on January 30, 2020, in Chandler, AZ. He is survived by his son Jonathan; daughter-in-law Sherry; daughter Rebecca; and grandchildren Jessica, Jillian, Ryan and wife Julie, and Scott. He is predeceased by his wife of 53 years, Estelle, and son David. Salem was born on April 11, 1928, in New York to Lithanian Jewish immigrants. He moved to Los Angeles in 1950, after graduating with a BS in Engineering from City College of New York, where he played lacrosse. He served in the US Army's 656th Engineer Battalion in Germany. He followed that with a brief stint as a race car driver---brief because he couldn't afford to keep buying new tires after each race! After receiving an MS in Civil Engineering from UCLA, Sal worked as a traffic engineer for cities throughout Los Angeles County. He and Estelle moved to Gilbert in 2007. When not working or caring for his family, Sal attended to his many hobbies, including reading, woodworking, electronics, photography, politics, astronomy, history, and building plastic and paper models. You never heard him claim to be bored! He was also a member of the Masons for more than 50 years. Salem was a wise, generous, and loving son, husband, father, grandfather, and friend and will be much missed. "Behold the turtle! He makes progress only when his neck is out." In lieu of flowers donations may be made to The American Cancer Society and PBS