Dear Isaac, I was sadden to hear about your passing.
You worked hard all your life and deserved to enjoy a well worth retirement with your family and loved ones.
You opened the door for me to an all new field, you also welcomed me in your house and share meals like I was a family member.
You will always be remembered.
Sincerely,
Luca.

I had the wonderful pleasure to work for Isaac, we lost touch after we parted as I moved to other job.  It has been about 22 years since we last saw itch other, and I just find out today 04/16/2020 while I was searching for him to see how he was doing.  I am very sorry to hear of his passing.  I have some good memories of him and I will treasure them.  My condolences go to his wife Ruty and the kids.  May he rest in peace. 

I was sorry to hear the sad news of Didi's passing.   To me Didi will always be the fun loving friend I needed when I first came to California; the friend who opened his house to me, got me my first job and especially the friend I had most fun with as a young man in a new country.   I loved spending time with Rutie and Didi, weather it was playing around with Didi's dirt bike or going out to dance at the HOP at that time in the late 1980's when Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers owned it.   We had good time sailing the great Locomotion with Didi's cousin Ricky to Catalina or just hanging around on weekend listening to Didi tell his story of how they tricked the French government and stole a few navy ships from under their nose in late 1969. My memories of Didi are frozen in time when we were young and full of life as the day when I got married and Rutie and Didi danced the night away.  
Farewell my friend, I will always miss you!

Today we are celebrating DeeDee's long and happy life on earth. Our gathering today is a celebration of a fulfilled and happy life.

DeeDee would have loved to physical be here with everyone today since he loved more than anything to be with family and friends. Yet DeeDee is with us today in this boat..his spirit & love surrounds us all.

DeeDee had a zhwa de veevrea,  a joy of life ,and lived his life to the fullest and he was a very caring person. I met DeeDee thru Israeli Folk dancing where he always seemed so happy to see and greet me. This friendship lead to us being regular bike riders together where we would ride along the beach trail in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach taking in the sea air and the beauty of the Pacific Ocean.

On these rides DeeDee would regularly tell me that Rutie was his "basherte, his Jewish soul mate and his woman for life. They were a team for life; achieving fulfillment and happiness for themselves and the family they created. 

DeeDee had this trait of sociability, where one can walk into a room of unknown people and feel at ease and make new friends. DeeDee would engage people in conversation wherever we went. In beach restaurants and cafés chosen because they served cappuccinos, DeeDee would start with the teaching and discussion with the barista how in his opinion a cappuccino was properly made. This was normally followed by engaging through conversation with others in the line or at tables with DeeDee acting as the ambassador of peace in political & religious discussions. 

With such great people skills it was no wonder that DeeDee was a natural and valuable worker at Club Med, well-liked by the guests where he worked as a young adult.

On our bike rides DeeDee would normally greets bikers coming from the opposite direction with a big warm. Hellooow.

DeeDee passed down this sociability trait to his loving daughter Jennifer. DeeDee was so proud of his daughter Jennifer. He would regularly talk about her great ability to pilot a helicopter with such ease to the astonishment of her parents.

I remember DeeDee talking about his father coming from Romania and hauling with the aid of horses sand from the beaches near Nahariyya using horses for building construction in this area of Israel. This construction experience  of hauling passed down to DeeDee from watching his father along with learning how to work on engines later in life in the Navy gave DeeDee the knowledge to open a used Fork Lift sales and repair company in Los Angeles. DeeDee was always collecting small rocks on our bike rides placing them in his garden at home upon his return.

DeeDee would tell me in between singing a happy tune as he rode along on his bike how he loved the beach at Huntington with its warm sand, fresh sea air and beautiful people  saying that there was no better or beautiful place where he would rather be than here along the Pacific Ocean in Huntington Beach.

This love for the sea came with growing up in the coastal town of Nahariyya and then as a young teenager in Israel he was accepted into a vocational Israeli merchant marine high school. By the end of this high school program DeeDee, a young teen, had sail the seas in a freighter traveling to South America, visited small islands in the Atlantic Ocean and even spent time in Louisiana.

DeeDee enjoyed meeting people in these countries learning their customs and way of living.

DeeDee would eventually join the Israeli Navy where adventures where always on the horizon; one of these adventures was very perilous as well as famous:
The Boats of Cherbourg (Shareborg) was an Israeli military operation took place on December 24, 1969, and involved the escape of five remaining unarmed Sa'ar 3 class boats from the French port of Cherbourg (Shareborg). The boats had been paid for by the Israeli government but had not been delivered due to the French arms embargo in 1969. The whole operation was planned by the Israeli Navy, and was codenamed "Operation Noa". The boats escaped on Christmas Eve in the dark in stormy weather to avoid detection. The boats were already on the high seas when the escape was uncovered by the French. The French Defense Minister ordered an air strike to sink the boats.. But thankfully the French Chief of Staff refused to obey and replied he would resign rather than obey the order. DeeDee and the other Israeli navy crew members sailed these Israeli boats a total of 3,600 miles beginning in the English Channel, and arriving at the shipyard port in Haifa bay. When the boats approached the Israeli coast, they were given an escort of Israeli Air Force aircraft. The boats were met with public jubilation when they arrived in Israel.

These Sa'ar boats were a new generation of small missile boat platforms. Do you recognize the name Sa'ar?..... Yes, DeeDee took the name Sa'ar as his Hebrew surname/family name replacing his Romanian family name of Helenberg that he grew up with. Sa'ar means Storm in Hebrew.

DeeDee original saw action at sea during the Six-Day War in June 1967. DeeDee would latter work on the engines of these Sa'ar 3 class boats while on duty off the coast of Gaza where he protected Israel from the sea while also having many exciting encounters and conversations out in the Mediterranean with Palestinian fishermen and drug traffickers as well as dropping off Israeli Naval Commandos on their way to their secret missions. DeeDee even was a navy diver in the bay of Haifa inspecting the integrity of the ships hulls as well as looking for any explosives that may have been placed on these ships hauls by Israel's enemies. The Sa'ar 3 boats' first battle engagements were made during the October 1973 Yom Kippur War. During this war, the first surface to surface missile naval engagements took place against Syria & Egypt.

Yes DeeDee, you had an exciting, well travel and wonderful life; from your adventures on the beaches of Sharm el-Sheikh to the enjoyment and sense of belonging and meaning that came with dancing with fellow Jews as an Israeli Folk Dancer.

DeeDee you have left your loving wife Rutie, your beautiful and talented daughter Jennifer, your son Yuval whom you so loved to ride bikes with when he was young. and all of us here today beautiful, warm memories that we will hold dear and will be remember always.

DeeDee, you have obtained the peace that you deserve and you will soon be returning to the sea that you so loved with the knowledge in your heart and soul that your family and friends loved you and that they will cherish your memory forever. We love you, DeeDee.

I want to end with some Jewish traditional words that I have found to be very comforting over the years:
There are stars up above,
So far away we only see their light long, long after the star itself is gone.
And so it is with people that we loved 
Their memories keep shining ever brightly
Though their time with us is done.
But the stars that light up the darkest night, these are the lights that guide us.

Didi..hope you find peace in a "life well lived". You brought joy, laughter, smiles and generous love to so many. Friends and family will hold you in their hearts and minds forever.

I did not think that I was going to miss him so much 
But I do 
I miss his endless laugh with tears in his eyes
I miss his generosity
Just want  1 more time to travel with him in the car and almost drive a red light :)
Miss his true love and remember how he always made sure everyone is happy and satisfied
How he loved Rutie, his children and his family 
Miss the sense of humor and funny jokes- Although there were not funny we laughed until tears 
Didi was indeed something special
He will be in my heart forever

i remember driving in the convertible with didi. and how he made everyone laugh when he ordered defackinated coffee. we will always mis him

My favorite memory of DiDi was when me, Jen, JoJo and Rutie would be hanging out at Jen's and having dinner, and we'd be playing old classic music songs that DiDi loved and he would hum along. Rutie and him would dance together and it was so sweet and beautiful to see. Sending lots of love to the Saar family. <3 xoxo

Didi was a wonderful human being, a truely good guy that loved life and people. 
He was also a great lover of the sea and an experienced sailor and waterman.
Didi's smile will stay with us forever.
David, Dorit, Guy, Inbar, Yael, Guily, Nir and - Amit, Itay and Noam

Didi was a wonderful human being and we liked him very much. Very sorry for your loss.

I have the best memories from all our trips to California. Whenever guests came to visit, Didi made sure to drop everything and take us sightseeing to all the places he knew and loved. His special efforts made him famous for his hospitality. thank you Didi!
Warm hugs to Rutie, Yuval and Jenn ❤

Didi, you were a good friend, a loving and embracing man, fun and fun loving. We will remember your smile, your empathy and your joy of life! You will always remain in our hearts and memories.

Didi, you are one of a kind! 
 The most fun, generous, kind and loving person I know.  You were an amazing uncle to me,  a true Mensch. I will always cherish our time together!
 I miss you!

I miss Isaac very much. Was fun to work with him. A very patient boss for many years.

OBITUARY

Isaac Saar

18 October, 1949 – 5 September, 2016

Harbor Lawn-Mt. Olive Memorial Park & Mortuary

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