Eduardo Loedel

Eduardo Loedel, "Papi," age 91, passed away at home on Thursday, June 1 from pancreatic cancer. He was fiercely loved and cherished for his sense of humor, his strength, his stubbornness, his intellect, and his many passions including chess, tennis, astronomy, MSNBC, writing, marathoning, and wind-surfing. He was an utterly unique, wonderfully histrionic character, full of life and impossible to sum up. (He would surely have rolled his eyes emphatically at having an obituary!)

Born on May 14, 1932 in Argentina, he was the second child of the physicist Enrique Loedel Palumbo and Maria Angelica Gorlero de Loedel, after his sister Alba. His first passion was theater, and in a theater group at twenty he met his first wife, Clarita, with whom he had two children, Enrique and Isabel. In 1959 he moved to New York City to be a translator at the United Nations; he would continue to be one of the best translators in their roster well into his 80s. At the U.N. he met his second wife, Shirley, and with her had his daughter Bonnie. In 1978, he lost his first daughter Isabel to the dictatorship in Argentina, and despite this incurable wound, remained vivacious and energetic throughout the years that followed.

In 1988, with his third wife Susan, whom he met training for the marathon (in his 50s!), he had his son Danny. Shortly afterward, he published a collection of short stories titled "Pasa Apenas," which, despite his own criticisms, was funny and strange and deeply original. In 1999, he met his fourth wife Mirta; this marriage would last the rest of his life. In his final decades, he continued translating, writing, debating politics and teaching chess to his children and grandchildren (whom he always beat despite going easy on them). He remained active almost until the very end, going on miles-long walks to Randall's Island with his dog at 90, and translating his son Danny's first novel into Spanish.

He is survived by his wife, Mirta, his children Enrique, Bonnie and Danny, their partners Denise, Mark and Emma, grandchildren Chris, Isa, Michael, Sam, Daniel, Trevor and Declan, step-children Kyle, Yanine and Malcolm, and step-grandchildren Kora, Luca, Kaylee and Ashleen, as well as his dog Jua. Brilliant, generous, buoyant and positive despite his claims of nihilism, always making jokes and telling stories even in his final hours, he was a wonderful father, grandfather and husband, and he will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Clean Air Task Force or Doctors Without Borders. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared in the comments section at EduardoLoedel.com, where you will also find Eduardo’s written pieces and reflections on them.