Daniel M Bumagin

Daniel M. Bumagin, of Jamaica Plain, MA, loving husband of 41 years to Nancy Topalian, and proud father of Jeremy Seth Bumagin, of Marblehead, MA, died in Newton, MA on Monday, May 18, 2026, due to complications from Alzheimer’s Disease. He was a kind, loving man who sought to admire and share goodness in all he did.

Daniel was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1944 to Sarah (Aronoff) and Sigmund Bumagin. He loved his summers in New Jersey with his brother, Michael Bumagin of Fort Worth, TX, and beloved cousins, at their farm. He remembered Michael warmly as the big brother who removed his splinters, fixed the chain on his bike, and encouraged him in rough patches along the way. Daniel was educated at Great Neck High School before studying Political Science at Columbia University where he earned his BS. He went on to study Urban Planning at Pratt Institute. During a break in his studies, Daniel took the trip of a lifetime, hopping trains and hitchhiking across the US via the southern route all the way to California with his friend Robert Brown.

After college, Daniel held a brief position as a social worker and then entered a career of public service as a city planner in Beverly, MA and later in Lawrence, MA. After working as a city planner, Daniel worked in many roles related to property development and management. Many of these were for the public good, such as helping to create low-income and affordable housing and restoring abandoned or tax-delinquent properties. He was part of two major renovation projects on very large mill buildings. Daniel worked on projects in Lawrence, Lowell, Methuen, Salem, Boston, Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, and Lincoln, RI. Amongst his favorite projects was the restoration of the Roxbury Presbyterian Church, and many projects and partnerships with his good friend and business partner, Joe Levis. He was proud of his professional relationships, many of whom became his life-long friends.

Daniel and Nancy met in 1982 in Rhode Island where they were introduced through Nancy’s dear friend and colleague, Wendy Aronoff, who was Daniel’s first cousin, and who continues to be a wonderful friend and cousin to both of them. Daniel and Nancy married in 1985, beginning their beautiful love journey together. Later, Daniel walked Wendy down the aisle at her wedding to LeMoyne Waite.

Daniel held a positive way of approaching the world, always assuming the best of people. He was a good and loyal friend, including to Philip Dunkelbarger, Marty Bresnick, Richard Surill, Robert Blitz, and many others.

Daniel was a devoted and loving father to Jeremy, who dearly misses him and the life lessons he imparted. He passed along his great sense of social justice and rigorous honesty. Most importantly, he emphasized the importance of spending as much time with family as possible, especially with children. Daniel demonstrated this in many ways. He visited his own dad, Sigmund, monthly in Manhattan, engaging in intellectual sparring and discussing issues of social justice. Later, Daniel lovingly cared for Sigmund in his declining years. He also showed this ethic with his beloved granddaughter, Ila Sarah Bumagin, 19, whom he and Nancy cared for one day each week from infancy until she entered high school. Ila remembers frequent trips to the Atomic Café and historic homes, and how she’d tell Daniel and Nancy all about her school day.

Jeremy fondly remembers Daniel’s cooking and some of his iconic meals: chili, pasta and meat sauce, beef and lamb stew, pan-fried hamburgers, salmon croquettes, bagels, and chicken cutlets, though this eventually became Nancy’s specialty. Jeremy watched and learned as his father worked to fix just about anything, from a true fixer-upper of a house in Rowley to reassembling, then riding, a BMW motorcycle. And there were always great walks in the Arnold Arboretum and the Breakheart Reservation, amongst many other locations.

Jeremy and Nancy also remember Daniel's ups and downs as he successfully adjusted to having Crohn’s Disease, and they admired his resolve in surmounting these challenges through great attention to his health. Many were unaware of this condition but Daniel worked hard to make sure it didn’t stop him from living a full life - it didn’t.

Peter A. Banks MD, Daniel’s physician for nearly six decades, was instrumental in Daniel’s success in meeting the challenges of Crohn’s Disease. With expertise, wisdom, compassion, admiration, and a strong belief in the healing capacity of medicine, Dr. Banks guided Daniel’s treatments, allowing him not only to survive, but to thrive.

In his final year, it was Daniel’s good fortune to have a warm and caring relationship with his caregivers: Abu Bakarr, Reggy, and Kalie. They had meaningful conversations, meals together, walks in his special neighborhood, and deep affection for one another.

At different points in his life, Daniel lived in Brooklyn, Levittown, Great Neck, Manhattan, Beverly, Rowley, and Jamaica Plain. He was formerly married to Linda (Kravetz) Haley and remained in fond contact with her family.

Throughout his life Daniel demonstrated great interest in others and in everything he could learn about life, which many say made him interesting in return. He loved family visits, holidays, and vacations. He particularly cherished memories of Italy for its architecture and atmosphere. Daniel and Nancy enjoyed many good times biking, kayaking, taking long walks, and discovering antique treasures near home and at John’s Pond on Cape Cod, Casey Key in Florida, and in the Southwest.

As a proud supporter and student of the Eliot School in Jamaica Plain, Daniel became a master woodworker who delighted in good craftsmanship and created beautiful and interesting furniture pieces of his own design. His original love of woodworking, furniture, and gardens came from his mother Sarah. Her untimely death when he was 20 left a great impression on him, and from her, he also inherited a great zest for life. His greatest “project” was his house in Jamaica Plain which he and Nancy lovingly restored to its Victorian aesthetic, and where he loved being with family and friends, especially in their beautiful and peaceful garden.

Daniel is survived by his wife, Nancy Topalian, his son, Jeremy Bumagin and daughter-in-law, Becca Kenneally, and his granddaughter Ila Bumagin. Daniel and Nancy have large loving families. They have many wonderful memories spanning the decades with Nancy’s siblings and their children, Daniel’s Aunt Vicki Bumagin, his many cousins and dear friends. Daniel shared a special relationship with Nancy’s sister Shirley Topalian, with whom he and Nancy shared many meals, outings, and vacations. With Nancy’s sister Margaret Moorachian, Daniel shared a love of design and renovation. He also held a fondness for Nancy’s sister Ann Tikoian, and Nancy’s nieces and nephews, including Nancy Moorachian, her husband Seth Brown, and son, Avi Brown, and George and Rose Moorachian and their children Luke and Faye. Neighbors of Daniel’s will miss him on his frequent walks with the miniature schnauzer, Pearl.

There is no memorial planned at this time. Daniel’s family will let others know when and if a memorial service is planned. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.