10/16/2026
Happy 80th birthday to my dad! My role model, and somehow still one of the youngest people I know.
He came to America from the former Soviet Union with very little except an education, a baby, me, an incredible work ethic, and the belief that if you stayed positive, kept showing up, and did the work, life would eventually work itself out.
He never taught us with speeches. He taught us by example. Work hard. Keep your word. Protect your reputation. Do the right thing, especially when it’s the harder thing to do. Love your family fiercely. And whatever life throws at you, wake up the next morning, smile, and keep moving.
He has always been our rock. The person who made us feel safe even when things weren’t easy. He loves at about 200%, gives everything to the people he cares about, and has always believed life is meant to be lived all the way.
Tennis, biking, skiing, working out,traveling, eating, laughing, dancing, telling jokes in that unmistakable Russian accent, and usually being the last person at the party who thinks the party should NOT end.
He also refuses to get old. Apparently his body got the memo. At 80, he looks great in a suit than most men half his age and, slightly annoyingly, looks pretty damn good without the suit too. I’m not sure whether to be proud, inspired, or start working out immediately.
He’s the reason I became a dentist, where I learned my work ethic, and why I believe you don’t have to be the smartest person in the room if you’re willing to be the hardest working.
But his greatest success isn’t anything material. It’s the family he built. His children love each other. His grandchildren love each other. We all love being together, because he taught us that family comes first.
A man’s life should speak for itself, and Dad, yours does.
We love you, admire you, and are incredibly lucky to call you our father.
Happy 80th, Dad! Keep smiling, keep dancing, keep lifting weights, and please try not to make the rest of us look too bad. ❤️
