Max Dillman

Max Dillman
June 3, 1925 – Aug. 5, 2012
Beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend, Max was a Balboa resident for over 55 years. Originally born in Alhambra, Max made many long lasting friends who he continued to stay in touch with over the years. There were no strangers in Max’s life, only friends he hadn’t met yet. He served in the US Navy during WWII on a PBY Catalina in the South Pacific. A baseball player and fan all his life, he played catcher for the Reno Silver Sox in 1947. After a summer trip to Catalina he met and married Joan Leigh in 1948. They had two children, Jim and Liz and in 1957 while in the plastering business, the family moved to Balboa where his folks, Bill and Opal moved a few years prior. In 1959, Max and his dad began Dillman’s Restaurant on the peninsula. The restaurant, operated by the family until 1986, became a well-known establishment with many celebrities, some famous and some infamous, as regulars. Unbeknownst to many, Max had a fondness for the Ashling House, for the developmentally disabled, and would enjoy throwing parties for those who lived there. He also loved poetry, reciting from memory Trees and The Cremation of Sam McGee. He was most passionate about his friendships as is illustrated in his favorite toast: Here’s to the ships, all the ships that sailed the sea, the tall ships, the small ships, and here’s to the most glorious, the most grand, the greatest ship of all, Friendship, here’s to you and me. Max is survived by his children, Jim Dillman and Liz McHone and spouse, Michael McHone, grandchildren Ryan and Brianna (Liz’s children) and Dawn Nicolaisen and spouse, Kris Nicolaisen, Paul and Todd (Jim’s children), and great-grandsons, Colton and Brody (Dawn’s children). In Max’s memory, the family asks that you grab a friend, a spouse, or a stranger, and share your friendship with a drink or a meal just as Max would have done.