I’m so saddened to hear about Eli. He was so much fun and such an original. He cared deeply about his friends and family. He was so open and loved to share- his stories, opinions , his thoughts and a drink - openly and with exuberance with the people around him. He had a wonderful smile and it was hard not to laugh alongside him. 

Eli and I went to Panama together in 2012 after meeting on a ski trip with friends. We travelled by jeep and motorcycles to San Blas Islands and stayed on a small catamaran with a very eccentric captain. Anything and everything that could go wrong went wrong. It’s a miracle we made it home but we had a great time nonetheless. During the day we swam off the boat, explored the islands and ate fish we caught. We slept on the deck at night and watched shooting stars and Eli made up stories about a nearby drug cartel to scare me. We laughed the entire trip. When I last saw him several years ago, he told me it had been one of his favorite trips. It was definitely one of mine as well. Eli’s adventurous spirit, wonderfully imaginative mind and infectious humor will be missed by many. 

I met Eli at NYSC, I started taking squash lessons with him and at the end of every session would be on the floor exhausted and laughing, as Eli always had some wild story to tell. I soon discovered squash was not for me, at which point Eli and I had become friends - I saw him almost every day in the gym and after his Tuesday night squash club, he would ask me to walk on his back, telling me it was best massage in town.

One weekend I was in the Hamptons, having a pretty miserable time - out of the blue   Eli called, I told him how unhappy I was, he said he'd jump on the next train - 3 hours later Eli arrived - I had an incredible weekend filled with fun and laughter, all because of the ray of light that was Eli. The world will definitely be a lot less fun without Eli - I will miss him terribly. 

So sadden to hear about Eli.

I'm especially sending love to the entire family. Thanks you for the beautiful and funny obit. about  Eli.

A ton of memories came flooding in.  We had so much fun in Maine and Essex Fells.

I will always remember his roarius laugh and flirty smile. and his tennis and bridge games. There was nothing Eli could not do.

Its a great loss to so many.

Love,

Kritzi

I am so saddened to hear about my friend Eli passing away. I just had dinner with friends a few weeks ago and Eli was the center of conversation for most of it. We all loved him so much. We laughed, we expressed concern, we laughed again. It was a roller coaster of emotion. One thing for sure is that if anyone could take you on a ride like that it was Eli. 

To his family, I’m so sorry for your loss. We will remember the joy and love of life that Eli brought to every conversation.