Leon Pritzker

PRITZKER-Leon. 83. Born June 26, 1922, died November 2, 2005. A loving husband, father and grandfather, passed from this world to live in the house of the Lord, November 2, 2005 in his home. Preceded in death by his brother, Bob Price. He is survived by his wife of 34 years MaryAnne Pritzker, sister Mae Nemeroff, his five children and their families; son William Earl and his wife Tracy with children Michael Leon and Shelby SherriAnne; son David Ronald and his wife Martina with children Sarah Nichole, David Richard, Whitney Justine, Alexandra Patricia Irene, David Jose Reyes, and Eric Martin; son Paul Mark; daughter Carol Ann Browning and her husband Michael with children Ashley Nicole and Megan Elizabeth; son Phillip Joseph and his wife Karen with children Phillip Joseph Jr. and Amie Marie. Leon was a generous and caring man who gave and asked for nothing in return. He was a long time member of Walnut Hill United Methodist Church where he was considered family by many. Leon was born in New York, NY to Harry and Sophia (Greene) Pritzker. After attending New York City College, Leon entered the United States Army and served as a cryptanalyst in World War II from 1943-1946. Leon was a master of seven languages. Upon leaving the Army, he went to work for the Census Bureau where he worked as a Statistician in Washington DC from 1947-1961, and in the Chief Response Research branch from 1961-1967. In 1967 Leon left the Census Bureau to become the Director of Marketing Information Services for Anheuser-Busch, Inc. in St. Louis, MO. In 1973 he became the Director of Management Systems for Anheuser-Busch, Inc. In 1984 he was asked to be the Executive Vice-President of Staff Operations for Campbell Taggart, Inc. Dallas, a newly acquired company by Anheuser-Busch, Inc. In 1990 Leon retired from AnheuserBusch and Campbell Taggart, but consulted for many years thereafter. Leon was well known in the mathematics and statistics communities as well as being a respected food company executive. Leon married his beloved wife MaryAnne E. (Watts) Pritzker on her birthday, December 12, 1970. They have five children and 12 grandchildren, with one greatgrandchild on the way. Leon earned his BS from the City College of New York in 1942. After W.W.II, he earned his Master's from the University of Pennsylvania in 1947. Leon was a member of Sigma Xi and Phi Beta Kappa. Leon Pritzker is listed in the Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the Midwest, and the American Men of Science. Leon was a visiting faculty member of the Case Institute Technical College in Cleveland, OH from 1954-1955, consulted for the Census and Statistical Bureau, Government of Israel, Jerusalem in 1961, and was an Instructor of Statistics for the Government of Turkey, Ankara, in 1967. Leon served with honor in the United States Army from 1943-46. He was a recipient of the Commerce Departments Meritorious Service Award (1954). Leon contributed numerous articles to professional journals and was cited in many other publications. Leon is a Fellow in the American Statistical Association, and member in Operations Research Society, Society for Information Management, International Association of Survey Statisticians, and the Walnut Hill United Methodist Church. Leon taught Sunday school and was a mentor to many of his fellow parishioners. Leon truly lived as if each day was the day that the Lord had made, and rejoiced in each of them. Leon was a wonderful father, husband, grandfather and friend. His passing will leave an unimaginable void on this earth, and he will be dearly missed. A memorial was held to celebrate the life of Leon Pritzker at Walnut Hill United Methodist Church in Dallas on November 4, 2005. A private committal was held at Restland Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Walnut Hill United Methodist Church, Salvation Army, or the Red Cross.