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Partly Cloudy City to rename Laurelton Blvd. beach in memory of Daniel Bobis
Memorial fundraiser at the Inn for beloved surfer, teacher
“We want to honor him,” said Billy Kupferman of his close friend, the late Daniel Bobis, a beloved teacher and surfer in the Long Beach community.
Bobis, 32, died off the coast of southern Sumatra during a surfing trip with his wife, Rachel, and a friend, Brian Lonergan in July. He was later cremated in Indonesia, and his ashes were brought back to Long Beach on Aug. 3.
Following an emotional public memorial and paddle-out in August at Laurelton Boulevard beach — where Bobis often surfed — friends and family will unite to honor Bobis during a memorial fundraiser in his name on Oct. 15 at the Inn from 2 to 6 p.m.
“It gives people a chance to come together and celebrate his life,” Kupferman said, noting that the event is also to benefit Bobis’s widow, Rachel. “The main goal is to take a proactive role in helping to make sure she is cared for financially. Those of us who knew him well know he’d do the same for any of us if the situation was reversed.”
Kupferman added that before the event, the city will rename Laurelton Boulevard beach after Bobis. A sign unveiling and ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. at Laurelton, he said. “The beach itself will be renamed, not the street,” he said. “But they’ll have a sign there. It’s a nice way to honor him.”
The fundraiser to follow, friends said, is meant to be a place where people can converge and share stories about a man recognized in the community as a passionate community leader, an environmental activist, a member of the popular hardcore band Cipher and a charismatic and dedicated teacher.
As a Long Beach High School teacher and head coach of the Long Beach Surf team, as well as a loving husband, surfer, musician, environmental activist, and martial arts master, Bobis was known as a leader in the community.
After seeing the impact that Bobis had on the community during the Quiksilver Pro N.Y. competition, Quiksilver announced that it is supporting the fundraiser by providing a Quiksilver Pro New York Memorial Surfboard and a Quiksilver Pro New York surfboard signed by all of the ASP World Tour surfers, as well as a donation of Quiksilver products to be offered in the raffles and auctions.
