David T. Gottlieb

David T. Gottlieb, a Certified Public Accountant and longtime finance consultant for Bay Area corporations, died on Nov. 20, 2020, at home in Napa. He was 69.

    Gottlieb was a freelance practitioner providing contract CFO/controller services to a small group of companies in the Bay Area since 2009. Previously, he spent many years in public accounting and financial planning with various privately held, midsize companies, and one Fortune 50 enterprise. In recent years, he enjoyed working mainly with firms providing professional services, including a family-owned, San Francisco-based transportation company supporting social media giants in Silicon Valley. He was quite the workaholic, spending long hours perched at his desk in his home office, his Porsche mug of coffee always within reach.

    Gottlieb grew up in West Los Angeles, graduating from University High School and then earning his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from California State University, Northridge, in 1975 (then known as “Valley State.”) He worked for Arthur Young and Co. to satisfy his public accounting requirements and received his Certified Public Accountant certification in 1977.

    He moved to the Bay Area around the year 2000, where he met and “courted” Constance Norwick, thanks to the J-Date website. The couple tied the knot in 2003. They loved wine tasting and made many trips from Danville to Wine Country, and they finally decided to relocate to Napa in summer 2007.

    The pair lived in the Carneros region, where they enjoyed a slightly slower pace of life and especially the open space to raise and spoil their Golden Retrievers, a very devoted cat and a flock of egg-laying hens. He also played along with his wife’s full San Francisco Giants fandom, joining Constance for many home games at PacBell/AT&T/Oracle Park. Ironically, he had done public accounting work at Dodger Stadium in his L.A. days. They traveled regularly to Giants Spring Training in Scottsdale, Ariz. Gottlieb’s favorite travel destinations were desert or tropical locales, especially Palm Springs and Hawaii. His friends and family appreciated Gottlieb’s infectious snicker, teasing ways and passion for fine cigars. He will be missed.

    Gottlieb is survived by his wife, Constance Norwick; daughter Melissa Gottlieb, of Los Angeles; stepdaughter Olivia Herstein (Sean) of Los Angeles; two beloved granddaughters; brother Gary Gottlieb, of Orange County; and many cousins, close friends and colleagues.

    All services are being held in private, and  Gottlieb’s family hopes to hold a memorial service at a later date, when it is safe to do so. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to your favorite animal rescue non-profit.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of David T. Gottlieb, please visit our floral store.