Marvin Sussman passed away in Elmhurst, surrounded by family. He was born in Chicago in 1923, and spent his entire life in Chicago except for his 4 years of military service in WWII; Marvin was the beloved husband of the late Miguelle, nee Genty for 64 years; loving father of Marc (Mary), Michel (Sandy), and Mathieu (Marie) Sussman; proud grandfather of Aaron, Lauren, Daniel, and Jillian; uncle of Gail (Steve Miller) Sussman-Miller and Sandra (Ron Schnur) Sussman, two nieces that he loved dearly; cherished son of the late Simon and the late Esther, nee Levine, Sussman; dear brother of the late Norman and Eleanor Sussman. He grew up on the west side of Chicago and was a graduate of John Marshall High School, class of 41. His father, an immigrant from Russia with no formal education, had a barber shop in the newspaper industry section of the Loop. His father was also a champion checker player, spoke eight languages, and collected thousands of books, especially about English literature, history, and Charles Darwin. Of course, that home life also molded Marvin. Marvin volunteered for the U.S. army in 1942 shortly after Pearl Harbor. He served in the 4 th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron “A” Troop. Combat started for him on June 6th , 1944 when elements of his squadron secured Saint-Marcouf Island, 3 miles off the coast of Utah beach an hour before the initial landings. Over the next 11 months, his squad performed reconnaissance missions for the 4th infantry as they marched across France and into Germany. He took part in the Battles of Normandy, Hurtgen forest, the Bulge, and many daily running skirmishes with the Germans. Throughout his combat service he was a radio operator and troop translator in both French and German which led him to be on many patrols. He came back home to Chicago in December, 1945. He met and married the love of his life, a French woman, Miguelle, in 1954. They raised 3 children in East Rogers Park and lived in that home for 45 years. He was very active in the community – schools, ward/precinct affairs, and youth football teams (High Ridge Chargers). He received degrees in Electrical Engineering (‘52) and Mathematics (‘59) from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He worked in the agricultural and automotive Industry for International Harvester and Borg-Warner. Working for these two companies, he was a pioneer in computer automation and programming for heavy machinery in the 50’s – 70’s, long before personal computers. In the 1960s he was very active in the anti-war movement as he believed in the prevention of war. His WWII experiences had motivated him to help others inspire diplomacy as the primary tool to settle differences and only using military action as a last resort. When he returned from the war to a world trapped between nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. He entered Roosevelt College, newly created by Eleanor Roosevelt, and actively engaged with Pacifists, Quakers, and various intellectuals, including Harold Washington, a future Mayor of Chicago. He lived and worked in Quaker camps in Mexico, and met well-known dissidents such as Dave Dellinger, a pacifist who became one of the “Chicago Seven”. He participated in and helped organize the anti-war movement in Chicago, hosting meetings at his home. Sometimes late at night and going to work in the morning. One typical incident was during the Grant Park Riot in 1968, while demonstrators were being arrested, the Democratic Party convention delegates watching from the Hilton Hotel across from the park were collecting their spare cash for bail and got in touch with Dave Dellinger, offering the money. But which demonstrator could get through the police line guarding the hotel entrance. Dave asked Marvin to go home, dress for business, get the cash, and bail out those arrested. Calming his wife’s protests, the “businessman” got dressed, with an attaché case in hand, drove his car back downtown and walked into the Hilton and up to the room of Connecticut Senator Abraham Ribicoff. With bail money in the attaché case, Marvin drove to the 26th Street Police Station, waited for the 9:00 am court, and bailed everyone out. A fleet of cars had also been organized to take everyone home. And Marvin came home to a worried, angry wife! After he retired in 1988, he and Miguelle spent the next 15 years enjoying 6 months each year living in Miguelle’s childhood home in Ollainville, France just south of Paris. While there, they met many new friends including the Peterson family – whose children became another set of grandchildren to them. Well past age 80, Marvin resumed his interest in Functional Finance (now called Modern Money Theory), an economic theory proposed by Abba Lerner, his economics teacher at Roosevelt College. Marvin has written papers for friends but has never tried to publish. The controversial theory had long been rejected but, since we dropped the gold standard in 1971, has gradually been accepted by many economists and marketeers, allowing Marvin to feel vindicated as Congressional spending on infrastructure has recently grown much larger. His final years saw him begin a career in storytelling. He actively engaged the Elmhurst schools, where three of his grandchildren were enrolled, providing speeches and lectures on life during the depression and as a WWII veteran. He was active in a storytelling circuit with a highlight of putting on a one-hour one-man show at a local Chicago theater. His stories were compiled into a book called Breaking My Silence . Marvin was a highly educated, well read, and multilingual intellectual who had a high degree of empathy for all people. He was generous with his time and advice to help all those who sought it or needed it. Visitation Saturday, June 25, 2022, 9:00 a.m. until time of service 11:00 a.m. at Gibbons Funeral Home, 134 South York Road, (½ North of St. Charles Rd.), Elmhurst. Live Stream of service available through funeral home website. For funeral information please call 630-832-0018 or www.gibbonsfuneralhome.com
Live stream Link here : https://vimeo.com/722803486