Joseph Engel

ENGEL JOSEPH H. ENGEL (Age 89) Passed away peacefully with a smile on his face, at his home in Silver Spring on Sunday, May 29, 2011. He was born in 1922 in the Bronx, NY, where he met and married his lovely bride, Beverly, who predeceased him in 1995. Joseph was already a lieutenant in the Army Air Corps and was soon stationed in the Pacific where he served as a navigator on B-29s, flying 39 missions over the Pacific and Japan. He crash-landed on Tinian and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with Three Oak Leaf Clusters, and two other decorations. After the war, he returned to his wife and began his civilian life and career. He earned his BS at City College of NY and a PhD in mathematics at the University of Wisconsin. They had three children, Wendy, Eric, and David. He worked as an analyst with Operations Evaluations Group at MIT, and was Director at the Center for Naval Analysis and the Communications Satellite Corporation. He became a professor and a head of Systems Engineering Department at the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle Campus. He returned to Washington, DC to head the Mathematical Analysis Division of the National Bureau of Standards. Joe was a member of the Operations Research Society of America (ORSA) and its president in 1968. He chaired a NATO science committee, helped form the professional society, Omega Rho, serving as its president from 1978 to 1980. He was also a member of the Cosmos Club and many other professional and civic organizations. He was the holder of the J. Steinhardt Prize in 1986 and in 1992 was awarded the prestigious George E. Kimball Medal and was also honored with numerous other awards and citations. Bev and Joe raised their kids, traveled extensively, and enjoyed a large, varied, and lively group of friends. Joe was an avid GO (the Japanese game Gomuko) player and after the war, became enamored with Japan. He had so many interests and hobbies that they can't all be listed. He loved chess, skiing and writing. Above all loved teaching. He took many graduate students under his wing, helping them launch their careers. Joe was a guy who absolutely loved life. He suffered a stroke in 2007, which slowed him down a little. He eventually retired from public life and his health slowly declined. On Sunday, May 29, he decided it was time to join his beloved wife of 54 years. He asked his caregiver, Juliana, to hold his hand and sing to him. He smiled, closed his eyes, and slipped gently away. He is survived by his three children, Wendy, Eric, and David; six nieces and nephews; his adopted family - Juliana, Peter, and their daughter Becky. A graveside service will be held on Sunday, June 5 - 1 p.m. at Parklawn - Menorah Memorial Park - Rockville, MD. The family will receive friends immediately following the interment at the Foong - Lin Chinese Restaurant in Bethesda, MD. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Breast Cancer Research c/o Holly Reich 165 West End Avenue Apt 26, New York, NY 10023. Arrangements entrusted to Danzansky-Goldberg Memorial Chapels, Inc. www.danzanskygoldberg.com