Sonja Leva Friedman

Sonja Leva Friedman

February 28, 1930 – December 8, 2025

 

Sonja Leva Friedman of La Cañada Flintridge, California, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her loving family.

 

Born in Ludwigshafen, Germany, Sonja immigrated to the United States in 1936 with her parents, sister, and grandparents. The family later settled in Springfield, Illinois, where she completed her schooling and met the love of her life, Seymour Friedman. On her 22nd birthday, Sonja and Seymour married—beginning a joyful and devoted partnership that shaped the rest of their lives.

 

Sonja earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois and a Master of Arts in Education from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.  After moving west in 1960 and making Tujunga, California their home, Sonja and Seymour founded Probabilistic Software Incorporated (PSI) in 1968.  PSI is a reliability engineering company built on innovation and sheer hard work. Sonja led PSI as chief executive officer.  With Seymour, she guided its growth with intelligence, vision, and unwavering determination. She also enjoyed real estate investment as a side endeavor.  In 1973, they moved both the family and the business to La Cañada Flintridge where PSI continued to flourish under Sonja and Seymour’s steady and insightful leadership.

 

A lifelong learner, Sonja furthered her studies in the Executive Management program at the Claremont Graduate University and also earned her Real Estate Broker’s License—testament to her belief that knowledge, curiosity, and hard work open doors to possibility.

 

Sonja will be remembered for her thoughtful nature, her humor and grace, and the love she poured into everything and everyone around her. She had a gift for elevating the ordinary, and she surrounded herself with things that inspired her—art, music, theater, museums, and especially rose gardens. She took pride in doing what was right, thinking ahead, and creating beauty wherever she went.

 

One of her favorite songs, La Vie en Rose, captures the essence of how she saw the world and how she helped others see it:

“Hold me close and hold me fast,

The magic spell you cast,

This is la vie en rose…

Give your heart and soul to me,

And life will always be la vie en rose.”

 

Because of Sonja’s warmth, kindness, and unwavering love, life for her family and for all who knew her will forever be softened by that gentle, rosy glow. She truly lived—and helped others live—La Vie en Rose.

 

Sonja is survived by her children Julie Friedman (Rodney Fricke), Jim Friedman, and Amy Besser (Robert); her granddaughters Alyssa and Katelyn Besser; and Taylor and Riley Fricke, whom she welcomed into her heart as grandsons. She is also survived by her nieces Lynn and Libby Borkon; her nephews Hank Borkon (Gail) and Julian Friedman; and her great-nephews Geoffrey Feldman and Michael Borkon.

 

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Seymour; her parents Elsa and Julius Leva; her sister Doris Scott; Seymour’s sister Tressa Borkon (Ben); Seymour’s parents Mandel and Esther Friedman; and his brother Theodore Friedman.

 

Services will be held on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. at Mt. Sinai Simi Valley Mortuary and Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Temple Judea or Descanso Gardens in La Canada, Flintridge, California, places that reflect Sonja’s values and her enduring love of beauty.