Erwin Sheppard, 85, Published research chemist


Erwin Sheppard, 85, died on June 11, 2008 in Oak Park of aspiration pneumonia.


Dr. Sheppard was born in New York City and graduated from College of the City of New York in 1941. Upon graduating, he joined the U.S. Army. In 1944 he received a direct commission in the Sanitary Corps of the Medical Department of the U.S. Air Force. He returned to school at Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn following WWII and was given the du Pont Research Fellowship for 1947-1949, receiving his Ph.D. in 1951.


For seven years Dr. Sheppard worked at the Cornell Medical College, New York Hospital. A pioneer in the study of cardiovascular disease and physical effects of aging, had a paper on Heparin as a blood thinner published, and in 1957 joined S.C. Johnson in Racine, Wis. as the Physical Research supervisor in the Chemical Research Department.


A member of the American Cancer Society, AAAS, Sigma Xi, Midwest Society of Electron Microscopists, the Electron Microscopic Society of America, and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, in 1999 he moved to Oak Park with his wife, Hilda.


Dr. Sheppard was admired greatly by friends and family. His successor at S.C. Johnson, Noubor Tcheurukjian said, “Dr. Sheppard was a kind, humble, generous and patient leader when it came to the people who worked for him. His expertise was wide-ranged: biochemistry, colloid science, polymers and materials science. He had over 20 scientific and technical publications in these fields.”


John Berge, who was hired by Dr. Sheppard said, “He was a compassionate supervisor, an excellent listener, and a knowledgeable scientist. It was a pleasure to work with him. Beyond our professional association, I always considered him my friend.”


Remembering her father, Laura Sheppard said, “My dad had a brilliant, facile mind and was always asking questions, seeking out more information and knowledge. He loved studying Dante in his retirement. He also knew how to enjoy life. He was a great conversationalist and was known for his clever witticisms and humor. He had a passion for tennis, handball and squash. He was also a devoted father and gave my sister Marianne and me freedom to express ourselves and find our own paths.”


Dr. Sheppard is survived by his wife, Hilda Sheppard; his daughters, Laura Sheppard and Marianne (Arthur) Bailey; and his brother Daniel (Shirley) Sheppard.


In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to the University of Wisconsin Eye Research Institute, 445 Henry Mall #307, Madison, Wis., 53706.

 


Anthony Bosco, 80, Boxer, pilot, judge


Anthony J. Bosco, 80, died on July 25, 2008 at his son’s home in Chicago.


Mr. Bosco was a rambunctious only child born in the Little Italy neighborhood on

Racine Avenue
. His propensity for getting into street fights got him noticed by a history teacher and boxer at St. Ignatius High School. The teacher trained Mr. Bosco to box and after joining the Navy in 1945, he became a unit champion. The Chicago Tribune obituary noted that Chicago Lawyer Magazine, in 1995, described him as “Santa Claus with barbs.” He left the armed forces on medical retirement after a plane he was in crashed in Texas.


He graduated from Roosevelt University in 1953 and got his J.D. from DePaul in 1956. For 16 years Mr. Bosco was in private practice and in 1972 was named to the Cook County Circuit Court.


In 1956 Mr. Bosco married Barbara Kilz. Every Sunday, he would host a family dinner at his River Forest home. Joe Bosco, his oldest son, told the Tribune, “You either had to be dead or in the hospital not to have a family meal.”


Mr. Bosco loved chess, flying, and studying the law. He enjoyed the complexity of civil litigation and mentoring young lawyers. He delayed retirement for three years so he could complete a case against Illinois to improve its life-insurance policy. After he retired in 1995, his son estimated he mediated 1,600 cases.


Anthony Bosco is survived by his wife, Barbara; his sons, Joe and John Bosco; and his four grandchildren.


A funeral Mass was celebrated July 29 at St. Vincent Ferrer Church,

7525 North Ave.
, River Forest.


Mary Thiesse, 97, Oak Park resident, family woman


Mary F. Thiesse (nee Huch), 97, died recently. She was a resident of Oak Park for over 20 years.


She was the wife of the late Richard E. Thiesse; mother of Edward (Marion) Thiesse; grandmother of Jimmy (Jean) Thiesse, Karen (Tony)Thiesse and Susan (Ronnie) Milchhoefer; sister of the late Clara Fabishek, Florence Dagen, Eva Hollerbach and George Huch; great-grandmother of 7 and great-great-grandmother of Alena Walters.


Visitation was held July 24 at Zimmerman-Harnett Funeral Home 7319 W. Madison St., in Forest Park and funeral services took place July 25 at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, 305 Circle Ave., followed by interment at Elm Lawn Cemetery.


-Compiled by Jacob Boyer

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