Daniel Patrick Bajger

Daniel Patrick Bajger passed away suddenly on the night of December 25 at his home in Bethesda, MD at the age of 34. He was born in Elizabeth, NJ on January 3, 1985. He was the college sweetheart of Allison Turza Bajger and her beloved husband for nine years. He was the devoted father of Henry Albert Bajger (age 2 1/2). He is survived by his loving parents, Lynne and John Bajger, by his brother, John Bajger and his wife, Tara, and their children, and by his sister, Jennifer Schmidt and her husband, Michael, as well as by his loving in-laws, Dale and Peter Turza, and by sisters-in-law, Kristin Turza, and her husband, Chris Campbell, and their children, as well as Lauren Turza and her children.

Dan was an exceptional young man in every way. Raised in Boca Raton, Florida, he was well-known for being the star baseball pitcher on the Olympic Heights High School baseball team. He was an All County and All-State High School Pitcher who received numerous college scholarship offers. Dan pitched at showcases around the country and was recruited by several professional teams before choosing to play for Columbia University, where he was a pivotal pitcher on the varsity baseball team. Dan graduated from Columbia University in 2007 with a major in English and Comparative Literature, and went on to receive his Juris Doctor degree at Catholic University of America in 2010, where he was the Production Editor of the Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy. He was admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia.

Dan had a stellar legal career, starting with a clerkship with the the Honorable Charles E. Powers of the New Jersey Superior Court, after which he joined the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office in Newton, New Jersey. After several years as a prosecutor, he became an Assistant Attorney General with the Offices of the New York Attorney General in Manhattan and Albany, NY. He then accepted a position as a Commissioner in the chambers of the Honorable Margaret A. Ryan in the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

As a true Renaissance man, Dan was a talented baseball coach, painter, creative writer, chef, drummer and a loyal NY Yankees fan.

Visitation is scheduled for Friday evening, January 3 from 4-9 pm at Gawler’s Sons Funeral Home, 5130 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20016. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday afternoon, January 4, at 1 pm at St. Bartholomew’s Church, 6900 River Rd., Bethesda, MD 20817, with internment immediately following at Parklawn Memorial Park, 12800 Viers Mill Rd., Rockville, MD 20853. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Dan’s memory can be made to the Columbia University Men’s Baseball team on line at http://athletics.givenow.columbia.edu or by sending checks to the Columbia Men’s baseball team, c/o Emily Maury, 622 West 113th Street, New York, NY 10025.