Dr. Ahmed A. Fareed

Dr. Ahmed A. Fareed, 90, of Skokie, passed away peacefully during the evening of January 21, 2023. He was the beloved husband of Houreya Fareed for 61 years; loving father of Dahlia (Tarek) Sayed and Tony Khalid (Elizabeth) Fareed; and cherished grandfather of Zachary Sayed, Amanda Sayed, Emily Fareed, Joseph Fareed, and Rebecca Fareed.
Dr. Fareed was a pillar of the Egyptian-American community in Chicago, a distinguished scholar and educator, a well-read intellectual, a deeply religious and spiritual person, and the rock of his family. Throughout his life, he built countless friendships and made meaningful impacts in many people's lives. He was well known for his thought-leadership, integrity, honesty, kindness, and generosity. He was proud to be a U.S. citizen and call Chicago his hometown.
His genuine caring for people is captured by a quote, which must have resonated with him, that he wrote down on a small piece of paper and taped to the wall next to his desk: "People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone!!"
Dr. Fareed was born in Cairo, Egypt, where he attended Cairo University (B.A. Honors in Literature and M.A. in Comparative Literature) and Ein Shams University (M.A. in Educational Psychology). In 1959, he and Houreya married in Cairo. After he was accepted to University of Chicago to pursue a PhD, the young couple moved to Chicago in 1961. It was there where he met other graduate students from Egypt and other parts of the world; many of them would become life-long friends.
In 1969, he earned his PhD in Cognitive and Educational Psychology from University of Chicago and began his career in academia. In 1970, after teaching classes at Northwestern University, he accepted a position at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, where he would help spark and drive the growth of NEIU's College of Education over two decades. His career progressed from a professor to the Founder & Chairperson of the Department of Reading, and then to the Dean of the College of Education in 1979 and Professor Emeritus and Dean Emeritus after his retirement. Throughout his career, including after retirement, he remained active in many educational initiatives. He received many awards and accolades throughout his career, but he was always most proud of his role as an educator and the impact he made with countless students.
Dr. Fareed and some of his close friends contributed and nourished the Arab cultural life in Chicago by establishing the Arab Cultural Center of America (ACCA), which arranged lectures and discussions on the contributions of Arabs and Muslims to world culture. He was active in the Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago and in setting up Al-Azhar Islamic Foundation. He also participated in several Egyptian social and cultural organizations.
He was an avid reader and collected thousands of books, especially on religion. He loved participating in various literary groups and especially enjoyed intellectual discussions and relentless debates with friends. His long, but endearing, professorial-type lectures to his children (and eventually his grandchildren) were meant to share his knowledge and instill the highest virtues. Despite his health challenges over the past three years, he lived a rich life and made a positive impact to society. He will be deeply missed by his family and friends.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, January 24th from 11:30am to 1pm, followed by Janazah prayer at 1pm at N.H. Scott & Hanekamp Funeral Home, 1240 Waukegan Road, Glenview, IL 60025, immediately followed by the burial at Memorial Park Cemetery at 9900 Gross Point Rd, Skokie, IL 60076. In lieu of flowers, contributions to Alzheimer's Association in memory of Dr. Ahmed A. Fareed are appreciated https://www.alz.org/.
If you would like order flowers please call Morning Glory Flowers 847-729-2070.