Jonathan Dorfman

Rockville, MD—Jonathan Dorfman, beloved father, husband, brother and friend, was born in Philadelphia, PA to Lillian and William Dorfman. As a student of urban planning, he was proud that his parents were original “Levittowners” in Pennsylvania. From there, he spent his pre-school years in California where his father taught at Sacramento State College. His formal school years were in Bethesda, MD where he graduated from Walter Johnson High School in 1972. He earned his B.A. in political science from the University of Wisconsin—Madison in 1976.

His career began at the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and then at the Office of Management at the newly formed U. S. Department of Education, where he worked on quality assurance and budget. In 1988, he went to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to work in budget and as a Project Manager for building and modernizing Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities across the country, including Northern and Southern California. He was also Project Manager for the building of the newest Air Traffic Control Tower at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

Jonathan was an avid traveler to small towns across the U. S. where he liked to observe “the rich sociology.” He enjoyed spending time at his condo in an old shoe factory in Madison, WI, where he “urban hiked” around the lakes and through the neighborhoods of that state capital. In retirement, he enjoyed attending briefings at such places as the Washington Post, Brookings, the Wilson Center, AEI and the National Archives. He also loved talking with friends and exchanging ideas from his breadth of knowledge.

He is survived by his wife, Cynthia, his daughters, Emily (David) Reiss and Dr. Caroline Dorfman (Jeffrey Friedlander), his beloved grandsons (who affectionately called him “Bucky”), Davis, Landon and Bennett Reiss and Jonah and Maxwell Friedlander, and his sister Jennifer (Dag) Mellgren and brother Joel (Laurie) Dorfman.

The family is grateful to Dr. Valerie Lee and the teams at Sibley, Suburban, and Johns Hopkins Hospitals for their expert care and kindness, and to the many incredible friends who provided support during his illness. Since he was an enthusiastic reader and lover of history, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, Chicago, IL, 60610 or www.newberry.org.

Funeral services will be held at 1 PM, on Thursday, August 15, at Congregation Beth El, Bethesda, MD with burial following at King David Cemetery, Falls Church, VA. Shiva will be observed at the family home in Rockville, MD at 7:30 PM on Thursday, August 15, and Sunday, August 18.