Daniel Barnett Savitzky

Danny Savitzky, 52, passed away September 26, 2018 at home after a two year battle with colon cancer. He is survived by his loving wife of 25 years Helen Savitzky; his parents, Amy and Yehuda Savitzky; Brother David Savitzky (Eve) and Sister Leah Davidson (Ira); his dear friends Lauren and George Mattiuzzi; and aunts and uncles Chaya and Uzi Sitzer and Chana and Tzvika Margolit. He was the loving uncle of numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his grandparents, (Dorothy and Jerome Greenberg and Batsheva and Zelig Savitzky), uncles (Leon Greenberg and Moshe Savitzky) and an aunt (Simcha Savitzky). Danny was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and worked in the bicycle industry for many years, eventually opening Planetary Cycles in 1994 with his childhood friend Adam Potter. Danny often said that he never worked a day in his life, because he so enjoyed working at the bike shop, building bicycles, interacting with customers, and watching the business grow from a very small shop to the successful business that it has become today. Danny was an active collector of vintage bicycles, and restored many of them. Danny was an avid mountain biker, and spent many happy weekend days at the trails at Cypresswood, Cypress Creek, and Memorial Park. Lunch with his friends at Rudy's after riding would cap it off with the camaraderie he treasured. He was able to take several trips to test out new bicycles, and particularly enjoyed biking in the mountains in Utah and Colorado. Danny loved automobiles, developing a love of racing his Porsche when health limited his biking. Danny also enjoyed working in his workshop, helping others with woodworking projects or creating items of his own. He loved to "tinker" - there were always ways to fix something that was broken, or to correct a problem to make something work better. It was often said that "Uncle Danny can fix anything". He would delight in leaving situations better than he found them. He loved to travel, and he and Helen took several memorable trips. In addition, Danny was active in the Boy Scouts for several years, and was blessed being able to watch his nephews Benjamin and Noah grow and mature through their participation in the Scouts. He was especially proud to help them with their Eagle Scout projects. Danny had a wonderful sense of humor, and could always be counted on for a particularly bad joke. He would tease anyone, breaking the ice with a wry comment. He could connect with almost anyone, making friends where ever he went. Danny loved his family and spent as much time as he could visiting with them. He was an invaluable support to his parents. He maintained a very close and special relationship with his brother and sister, and he considered himself blessed to have been able to continue his relationships as an adult, instead of just as the baby of the family. Danny often said that he had a very good life, "I'm the luckiest man in the world." He had his relationship with Helen. He had his family. He had a job that he enjoyed, and he never wanted for anything. He spent his life helping other people in whatever way that he could, whether it was fixing wheelchairs in Nicaragua, helping with projects at the synagogue, or just noticing that people needed help and providing assistance whenever and however he could. He enriched the lives of countless people, often through selfless generosity that attracted no fanfare. In lieu of flowers, Danny would appreciate donations to the Houston Bicycle Museum, where he has several antique bikes on display, (http://www.hbm.bike) or to Heifer International (https://www.heifer.org) or to a charity of your choice.

Daniel Barnett Savitzky

February 7, 1966 - September 26, 2018