Donald Benjamin Susswein, of Bethesda, Maryland, passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife Wendy, son Liam and his dear friend Ramon Camacho on April 2, 2025. In addition to his wife of 35 years and son, Don is survived by his sister Joan Barber (Norm Golden) and his centenarian mother Lee Susswein (Joe Monteforte). Born on January 7, 1953, he was 72 years old.

Don spent 14 years as partner with RSM's Washington National Tax (WNT) office bringing deep experience and incredible curiosity to WNT and the tax practice overall. Prior to joining RSM, Don was a WNT tax partner at two Big 4 firms and a partner at Thacher, Proffitt and Wood, a Wall Street law firm.  Don served as the majority tax counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance during a time when tax law underwent substantial change, advising the chair and members on tax issues and negotiating with representatives of the Treasury Department, the IRS and the House of Representatives. Before working in the Senate, Don argued the government's position in tax controversies before the US Courts of Appeals and selected state appellate and high courts, as an attorney in the Honors Program of the Appellate Section of the Tax Division of the Department of Justice. He was a member of the New York State Bar and the District of Columbia Bar and earned his JD from Yale Law School and BA from Columbia University.

Don's legacy will live on through the many lives he touched and the profound impact he had on the tax profession. His dedication, vision, wisdom, and kindness will always be remembered. His imagination and creativity for solving the most complex tax issues are legendary. In both professional and personal interests, he loved a good debate and could argue any side of an issue. He loved to mentor and he loved to learn from others.

He enjoyed making people laugh whether telling a story, a joke or giving  a Jimmy Stewart impression. Recently he took up designing a model train railroad, a childhood passion. He loved listening to music from show tunes to Johnny Cash. When on vacations with his family he loved sitting on a boat, sipping a cappuccino in a cafe, or touring historical places on foot.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 8 at the Garden of Remembrance Chapel in Clarksburg, MD with a live stream available through the Garden of Remembrance website. In lieu of flowers, donations can be to the Special Olympics ( specialolympics.org ), Young Artists of America ( youngartistsamerica.org ), or become an organ donor at Donate Life DC ( donatelifedc.net ).

Special Olympics
Web: http://specialolympics.org

Young Artists of America
Web: http://youngartistsamerica.org

Donate Life DC
Web: http://donatelifedc.net