Funeral Details

Dr. Maurice Guysenir, a lifelong Chicago resident and World War II Veteran, passed away peacefully at his home on May 14, 2022, at the age of 100. He found his true calling as an educator and served as a teacher and principal in the Chicago Public Schools. While raising his family, he earned a PhD in political science from Northwestern, and went on to educate future teachers at Northeastern Illinois University, where he became Chairman of the Department of Secondary Education and Assistant Dean. In 1968, he received a Distinguished Teaching Award at Northeastern, based on the combined votes of students, faculty, and administrators.

He was an avid reader, music lover, golfer, and bridge player, but his greatest passion was travel. He visited every continent, including Antarctica, and nearly every country in the world. Based on his travels, he created multimedia presentations to educate his students and the community about the history and culture of foreign lands.

He was married for over 70 years to his wife, Jewel, who died in 2015. He was the loving father of daughters Diane (Joseph) and Andrea (deceased), proud grandfather of Justin, Cameron, and Brandon, devoted brother of Lawrence (deceased) and Lucille, and fond uncle of Jeffrey, Deborah (deceased), Renee (Paul), Aliza (Marty), Mark (Lettie), Lynn, and Jan (Larry), as well as grandnephews Zak, Grant, Thomas, David, and Marc, and grandnieces Rachel and Emily.

A memorial ceremony will be held at Chicago Jewish Funerals in Skokie on Tuesday, May 17 at 12 noon. Memorial contributions can be made to the Maurice G. Guysenir Award fund, which supports veterans who wish to become teachers. For more information visit the Northeastern Illinois University Foundation at: neiu.edu/give.

To attend the funeral live stream, please visit our website. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals - Skokie Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com