It has been one month since  My father died. I and my husband,Cote and two daughters, Arabella and Marina think of him every day. The beautiful comments and photos from everyone has been profoundly meaningful and helped keep light in a dark moment. Thank you from Elizabeth and family

David was a good friend of long standing.  Over the years our paths intersected as we shared professional experiences and personal interests.  We overlapped briefly at Exeter, but neither of us remembered having met the other, so presumably we did not; nonetheless, we shared our experiences later.  I first met David in the late 1960s, when we were young Foreign Service Officers at the State Department involved in European affairs.  David was well-known and popular among his colleagues.  Then, to the surprise of many, David started to move away from the Foreign Service, working with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on building dialogue between the US government and public on foreign policy issues, after which, more surprisingly, he accepted a senior position dealing with international trade policy and import controls at the Commerce Department.  Many years later David told me that he had known virtually nothing about his area of responsibility at the time of hiring; however, he met the challenge and earned a solid reputation in his new role.  David's biggest leap into the unknown was when he joined Cabinet and sub-Cabinet notables from the Carter Administration in founding The Consultants International Group.  As he told me later, this was virgin territory for him, and yet, as the other original partners gradually left the Group, David gained expertise, became chair and CEO, and successfully built up and navigated the firm for thirty years.  Perhaps his greatest success, of which he was justly proud, was obtaining, after many years of struggle, government approval for the importation of Parma ham into the US.  For that, discriminating consumers remain in his debt!  David's career, it seems to me, reflected many sterling qualities that defined his success: a sense of adventure, an entrepreneurial spirit, eagerness to face the unknown, wide-ranging curiosity, imagination, willingess to do the hard work necessary to overcome challenges.  I got to know David best over the past twenty-five years or so.  At my invitation he joined the Council for the United States and Italy, a nonprofit organization of business leaders in the two countries, whose US branch I headed.  David was an active and enthusiastic member; he made an important contribution to the Council's work, thanks to his on-the-ground knowledge of doing business in Italy and the bilateral trade and investment scene.  He was also helpful to me as a sounding board and giver of advice on many Council issues.  But our relations extended far beyond the Council.  We chatted frequently and at length - domestic politics, transatlantic relations, the Italian scene, books (though not mysteries!), classical music.  David was modest, genuinely interested in others, always ready to help those in need, a positive thinker with a wealth of ideas.    I will miss him!  Michael Calingaert

Dear Biltchik family, this is Athos Maestri from Parma, Italy. I had the pleasure to know David attending to many Food Shows and events organized by Parma Ham Consortium in the early 2000. I then decided to start my own food business in the US moving with my family to Ashburn, Virginia for five years, between 2014 and 2019. When David knew about my move he immediately invited me to visit him at his DC office. He was very curios to know about my business, and always willing and happy to help. I remember that visit as a very pleasant moment. He was a generous man, very knowledgeable but humble. Incredibly charismatic and smart. Everybody here in Parma remembers David's as a great person and impeccable professional. I would like to send you my condolences in this sad moment. In the Parma community we will all miss David and will pray for him.  All the best.  Athos Maestri

Professionally, David was a talented Foreign Service Officer and a savvy and competent businessman who loved Italy and worked tirelessly to promote Italian products. We will miss his commitment and his insight.  Personally, many of us at the Embassy had the good fortune to get to know him, to learn from him and to appreciate his wit. We join his family in grieving his loss.  May he rest in peace. The Economic Office of the Embassy of Italy

Dear David's family, this is Davide Ponticelli from Parma, Italy. I met first David at the beginning of my career in the late 90s during the Consorzio's events, and I consider myself lucky and honored to have met him, and get to know his knowledge and his manners, always with a bright smile. My condolences to the family, we will miss him. RIP. Davide

Dear David's family,  I am Giulio Menato, former Agriculture Cousellor for the European Union serving in Washington between 2012-2016. David came first to me, as a good lobbyst he was!, telling me about his concerns, but I then had many opportunities to benefit from his professional wisdom on behalf of the bilateral trade between European Union and the United States.  I thank him for that.  But I thank God to have also had the personal opportunit to be in touch with a real gentleman and a very kind mentor when he was seing the young professionals making some unwanted mistacke in the complicated DC world.   My thoughts are with you and David. He was a good person.   Giulio Menato

With great regret, I will always remember the passion, dedication and competence that David put into his tasks, always with a lot of moderation, respect, education and humility. We all learned a lot from him and we owe him the success of Parma Ham in the USA: I worked close to him during my Presidency of the Parma Ham Consortium and I can say that without him we would not have reached today's important goals. We will all miss him. All my condolences to the family, whom he loved so much and he putted always first. Paolo Tanara Langhirano (PR) - IT

David was such a special one. His passion, dedication, empathy and positive attitude will always be remembered by every single producer he had the chance to meet during his long-time collaboration with the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma. His efforts were essentials in order to reach the final goal of sharing our product on the american tables. He has always been supportive, generous and willing to contribute to the constant growth of our business and product. We are so thankful and will remember him in our thoughts. Giovanni Bianchi - Pio Tosini SpA - Langhirano, ITALY

David was more that a mentor and a close friend for me; he was my second father. His love for culture, his humanity and his refinement, together with his passion, proficiency and perseverance, have forged a unique style that has allowed him, among other challenges in his life, to “seduce” all of us in Parma. And to led us to “go and conquer” the United States of America with our Prosciutto di Parma. David wrote an essential piece of Prosciutto di Parma millenial history and I am proud to have been by his side for the last 30 years. I will miss him infinitely, but a part of him will always be with me. Stefano Fanti

Thanks for your friendship and guidance, dear David. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to meet you and learn so much from you. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Rest in peace, dear David. Andrea

Il Presidente del Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma, Vittorio Capanna, i consiglieri di amministrazione, il Collegio Sindacale, assieme ai produttori tutti, sono vicini alla famiglia nel ricordo del caro David, un caro amico artefice dell’apertura del mercato americano, stella polare del Prosciutto di Parma negli Stati Uniti e nostro illustre “ambasciatore” per decenni con tanta passione e professionalità. Riposi in pace.

Stefano Fanti and all the staff of the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma embrace Jane, Elizabeth and Christina in the last farewell to David. He was a leader, a friend, and a preminent figure of our Consortium history.  David will always be in our hearts an we will remember him with much affection.

These last few days have been filled with memories and with gratitude for all I received from David, both on a professional and on a personal level, during the 17 years I had the fortune of learning from him.  I thought back to how many drafts we would sometimes write of an email or a press release and smiled.  "It doesn't sing yet," he would say.  I have deep admiration for the passion, perseverance and the personal touch he brought to our work.  My thoughts are with his family in this difficult moment.  Thank you, David.

Since the beginning of my experience at the Consorzio in 2004, David has been my “maestro” for several aspects, especially the way to approach Authorities and clients. He thought me the art of diplomacy and showed how to enforce Prosciutto di Parma protection not only in North America. Together we reached great results, I will miss him a lot but I’m also sure his lessons will help us in the future. My deep condolences to the family Simone Calzi

I had the enormous great luck and privilege to be David's first protégé at the Consultants International Group, Inc.  He hired me in 1987 and I counted him as a mentor, a father figure and a colleague for the next 33 years.  His influence in my life was enormous, most significantly in how he was a role model of someone who could be a tough businessman, but a gentle and noble human being who always found the good in people.   I will miss his laughter, his unbounded joy for life, and his wisdom.  Rest in peace David knowing that you lived the good life and had such an enormous and positive impact on so many people.

Carissime Jane, Elizabeth, Christina,  ci stringiamo a voi in un caloroso abbraccio che supera le distanze e le barriere, perché vi arrivi la nostra amicizia, il nostro affetto e la nostra vicinanza.  Il ricordo di David è indelebile per noi, per la nostra famiglia. La commozione è tanta, i ricordi affiorano e riportano a galla momenti felici fra i nostri genitori. La stima e l'affetto che legavano David e il nostro papà hanno mantenuto la stessa forza negli ultimi anni attraverso noi figli. Il vostro papà è stata una persona preziosa per noi fratelli Borri,  e il suo ricordo non scomparirà: lo ricorderemo sempre nelle nostre preghiere, lo porteremo con noi nei nostri cuori. Siate forti! Con amicizia, Natalia, Mariolina, Bernardo e Tommaso Borri

Dear David, it’s three hours I try to write something good in your memory. But the truth is I’m overwhelmed. It’ s really hard letting you go. It’s so difficult saying goodbye to your brilliant mind and your goodness of heart. During these seven years you taught me so much.. you helped me understanding the art of diplomacy (how hard it is, dear David!), you managed in increasing my love for this job, you had always the right word at the right time. This, and much more, was you. I feel so lucky my path crossed yours, and I am deeply honored to have learnt from you. I will always remember you, next to me, smiling at the camera in front of the White House.Have a good trip now dear David, we will really miss you.   “There’s a Starman waiting in the sky”

I am one of those lucky persons here in Parma - Italy who had the chance to meet you David, to work with you, to learn from you. I will always be deeply grateful for everything you did for me, my job, my city.  Riposa in pace

OBITUARY

David Ellis Biltchik

16 December, 1936 – 28 December, 2020

DeVol Funeral Home

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