Rolf Peter Glitzner's Obituary
Rolf Glitzner, 87, of Burlingame, California, passed away April 21, 2026, leaving behind a legacy of extended family, friends, strength, integrity, loyalty and laughter. Rolf is survived by his daughter Jennifer Glitzner and partner Minet Gunther, his sister Brigitte Karliner, niece Steffi Karliner, great nephews Aaron and Eric Karliner, his devoted partner and companion for nearly 50 years Kathy Meriwether, and his extended family. He is preceded in death by his son Rolf Jr., mother Gertrud Glitzner, father Gustav Glitzner, sister Christina Kunkele, brother in law Werner Karliner, and his beloved parrot for over 40 years-George, who is surely thrilled to have someone to squawk at again, and many beloved friends.
Rolf emigrated from Germany to San Francisco via Canada when he was only 20 years old. He was forever grateful to his sister, Brigitte Karliner and adopted big brother, Werner Karliner for sponsoring his immigration to his newly adopted home. He feared being left behind on his long cross country immigration journey from Vancouver to San Francisco, and chose not to eat or exit the bus at rest stops on the 3 day cross country trip because he didn’t speak English. Rolf immediately landed a job as a VW and Porsche auto repair technician at Atlas Motors where his German secondary vocational school automotive training overcame his inability to speak English.
Within a few years, Rolf opened City Automotive Volkswagen and Porsche on Eddy Street in San Francisco. Born with a knack for fixing things, Rolf spent more than 50 years as the proud owner of City Automotive. To call it a “shop” would be underselling it; for many, it was a second home, and the only place they would bring their cars. Rolf didn’t just repair vehicles — he adopted entire families as customers, sometimes across multiple generations, forming friendships that lasted longer than most warranties. He even sometimes repaired foreign (American) cars for customers and close friends. He was proud that he developed a strong base of loyal customers, many of whom became lifelong friends who trusted his honesty and technical abilities.
Like many immigrants, Rolf accomplished a lot in his adopted country in his 20’s. He taught himself English by watching black & white television shows. He started his own business. He saved and bought his first home for $17,500 on Crespi Drive in Pacifica, where young immigrant neighbors became lifelong friends. Rolf married his childhood school friend, Marlene, after she came to California for a visit. They married young, had 2 beloved children (Jennifer and Rolf, Jr.) and divorced in 1978. He always worried that his marriage was not a long-term success due to his short-comings but was blessed twice. He became Kathy Meriwether’s life-long person, partner and companion after meeting in South Lake Tahoe in the late 1970’s. Kathy left her family in Southern California and moved from Santa Monica to be with Rolf but she always respected him for putting his children first in his life. Rolf warmly accepted Kathy’s large extended family, who visited Burlingame many times over the years.
Rolf rebuilt his life after the divorce by purchasing a fixer upper in Hillsborough. He lived for a few years next door to the infamous “Flintstone House” before purchasing his final home in the Burlingame Hills. Rolf loved everything about the Burlingame Hills community where he spent the remainder of his life; the trees, the birds and nature, the neighbors and a shorter commute to his San Francisco shop. His life is a successful American Dream immigrant story. He built a wonderful life in America.
Being forced to retire at 74 was one of the few things in life he truly complained about. He was sad that he couldn’t continue “helping people,” though anyone who knew him would say he never actually stopped. He spent many retirement hours on the phone trying to assist former customers with their VW’s and Porsches.
Rolf’s life journey was not easy, but he always felt blessed in life. His family escaped from East German when he was very young. He endured cold Vancouver winters while he waited for approval to immigrate to the United States. Rolf was always focused and determined to be successful through hard work.
Rolf embodied the saying “getting old is not for sissies” as he endured multiple health issues over the last 10 years of his life, following open heart surgery to implant a bovine heart valve. Open heart surgery was followed by a titanium knee, multiple foot surgeries for a broken foot from a previous work injury, a pacemaker implantation, multiple bouts of pneumonia and other “nips and tucks”. Most people could not have endured the medical care that extended his life to the age of 87. Kathy teasingly called him the bionic man after many surgeries and various body part replacements.
He trusted the medical guidance and care of Dr. Melody Y. Lee, MD (San Francisco Kaiser), who treated him and Kathy like family for many years. Her dedication to her patients in a medical system that allows only 10-15 minute appointments is amazing.
Rolf continued to bounce back from many health issues and medical nips and tucks until, at 87, his body had no more bounce. Rolf was hospitalized with pneumonia March 31, 2026 and never fully recovered. On April 16, 2026 when Rolf was transferred to hospice care, South San Francisco Kaiser Hospital Nurses shared that Rolf was their favorite patient because of his quiet good nature. Rolf’s life ended naturally in a beautiful ocean-view room at TLC Pacifica just blocks from his first home on Crespi Drive, where he was tenderly cared for in his final days by Cristian, Dwight, Flori and Mario.
Rolf believed that the best days were the simple ones: a nice dry white wine or Tanqueray Gin & tonic with dinner, long walks in nature, tending his home and manicured garden, or fishing. He loved deep sea fishing in Mexico. His life was defined by love of family and friends, strength, work ethic, kindness, craftsmanship, and the kind of stoic German humor that sneaks up on you — the quiet, dry kind that made you laugh harder the longer you thought about it. He was one of the “good ones” and will be deeply missed, fondly remembered, and forever associated with family, friendships, the smell of motor oil and the sound of a well tuned engine.
Rolf’s was a long “life well lived” with no regrets.
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