After a brief battle with advanced lung disease, Daniel Gerardo Rethemias, 66,  passed away peacefully on February 15, 2024, with his brother Waldo and close friends by his side.

 

He is survived by his mother Blanca Passadore, brother Waldo, sister Roxana; brother-in-law Holger, nieces and nephews Cecilia, Serrana, Pablo and Juan Manuel, cousin Wilson (Pepe) and his wife Alicia, cousin Claudio and his wife Stephanie, cousin Fabiana and husband Sam, cousins Rosario, Roberto, Luis and their families, and innumerable friends. 

 

Born on April 17, 1957, to parents Blanca and Nelson, Daniel was gifted with an innate sense of style, elegant manners, and mad kitchen skills.  His brother Waldo called him dashing and destined to live beyond the boundaries of his native Uruguay.  

 

As his family expected, Daniel immigrated to the United States in 1980. He settled into a job as a cook at Ledo’s, an iconic Italian restaurant and pizzeria near the University of Maryland campus and continued working in the hospitality industry for the rest of his life. 

 

After nearly a decade in the Washington, DC area, Daniel moved to San Francisco just in time for the Great Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989.  He worked at Calzone’s, a popular North Beach Restaurant, and then went on to work at the Argent and Parc 55 Hotels.

 

All along the way, Daniel made lifelong friends to whom he was eternally loyal, generous, and compassionate. His friends called him Mr. Magoo for his childlike wonderment and droll narrative of the world around him. He was a lover of animals and beloved by the cats and dogs whom he frequently babysat. Daniel invested his time and energy in small and great experiences with the people he loved. First and foremost, he made the trek to Montevideo, Uruguay to see his mother twice a year. He rendezvoused with his brother, mother, cousins, and friends for a memorable visit in Barcelona. He celebrated his 60th birthday with friends at the Jules Verne restaurant on top of the Eiffel Tower. He went to Rome, London and Italy and made annual  trips to Cape Hatteras. N.C., East Hampton, and Washington, DC with his tribe of friends. Ultimately, his native habitat was the kitchen, where he perched a martini in one hand while whipping out divine Arroz con Pollo with the other one. There will never be a son, brother, uncle, and friend like Daniel. He will be loved, missed, and cherished forever. 

 

 

Daniel’s Family wishes to express their appreciation for the outpouring of love and support.  There will be a celebration of life, which will be scheduled in the upcoming months.  This will allow Daniel’s loved ones from Uruguay, Argentina, Spain, Canada, and the States to make travel arrangements and participate. We will let everyone know when this is scheduled.  Thank you again.  The Rethemias Family