David Anthony LaMonica

David Anthony LaMonica was born to Eva and Anthony LaMonica on August 5, 1945. A determined adventurer from his earliest days, David grew up on the banks of Lake Ontario alongside his two older sisters, Joan and Ann. Losing his father at an early age, he split his childhood between the East and West coasts, volunteering for the US Navy at the age of 17. David nobly served three tours of duty in the Vietnam campaign, earning him several bronze star commendations. He subsequently moved to the Middle East where he worked for the US Intelligence Community. Following government service he went to college on the G.I. Bill and graduated from UCLA with a degree in Chinese Literature.

An entrepreneur to the core, David started his first company, BOLA LTD., an industrial chemical business, in the family’s garage and eventually merged his firm with Rochem Group. While David was not an engineer, he had a great affinity for the technical aspects of his work, resulting in his induction into The American Society of Naval Engineers in 1995. Throughout his career, he built various Rochem product lines and is the owner of a number of patents. His fluency in his business, combined with his ability to build an instant rapport with people from all walks of life, was the basis of his success in life and at Rochem.

The only thing David loved more than his business was his family. He met Elena Margaret Bove in 1973 and they were married August 1974, in an intimate ceremony at the home that has remained their primary residence for the last 44 years. They have two daughters, Elle and Maggie with whom they shared many adventures around the globe.

He was adored by his wife, children, grandchildren, sisters, nieces, nephews and the global kaleidoscope of family and dear friends who made up his world. Always up for a party, there was hardly a family celebration, regardless of geography, that happened without David’s warm and gracious presence.

David is survived by his wife Lane, his daughters Elle and Maggie, his sons-in-law Jordan Brafman and John Friberg, his four grandchildren, Noa, Karl, Elias and Aurelia and his two sisters, Joan Goeffredo and Ann Montesanto. We will remember his generosity of spirit, his friendly smile, his gracious hospitality, his camaraderie and his knowing non-judgmental glance. We are all better for having known him; he left the world a finer place than he found it. We miss him already.

A Memorial Mass will be held at 11:00am on Friday, May 11, 2018, at Sacred Heart Chapel, Loyola Marymount University, 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles, California 90045. In lieu of flowers, a gift in David’s memory may be made to The Bove LaMonica Family Scholarship at Loyola Marymount University. The memorial contribution can be made online or via direct mail, 1 LMU Drive, Suite 2800, Los Angeles, CA 90045.