Joel Shiffrin

Service : Private Service

Contributions
92nd Street Y
92ny.org
or
the Vasculitis Foundation
vasculitisfoundation.org

Interment:
Private

Joel Shiffrin, 91, beloved husband of the late Miriam (née Abrams); loving father of Daniel (Gracia) Shiffrin and Allan Shiffrin (Jayne Papandreou); cherished “Pajoe” of Lauren (Danny), Zachary (Samantha), Sara, Stella, and Lucia; proud great-grandfather of Rosemary, Reece, and Mason; adored uncle of many nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents, Louis and Celia Shiffrin, and his brother, Alan H. Shiffrin.

Born in Brooklyn in 1935, Joel grew up in Dover, New Jersey, where he met his boyhood pal and lifelong friend, Jake Harris. They remained best friends for more than 50 years, until Jake’s passing in 2007.

Joel earned his bachelor’s degree from New York University in June 1956 and later received his MBA from the University of Chicago. On December 1, 1956, he met his future wife, Miriam, on a blind date in the lobby of the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan. They wed exactly one year later, on December 1, 1957, and soon settled in Chicago, Miriam’s hometown. Joel and Miriam enjoyed 53 wonderful years together before her passing in 2011. Joel often said that Miriam was “the best person I ever knew.”

Joel and Miriam shared a love of theater, opera, and travel. They were also drawn to the water and spent many happy hours sailing on Lake Michigan and gathering with family and friends at their lakefront home in South Haven, Michigan.

Joel began his professional life as a CPA and went on to build a successful career in banking, eventually becoming a bank president. In the early 1980s, he was a pioneer in the emerging field of marketing for CPA firms and other professional practices. Over the next 40 years, he founded and led several businesses that provided marketing and management consulting services to those firms.

In his later years, Joel pursued his love of books – particularly histories, biographies, and other works of nonfiction – and relished discussing them in book clubs with friends. He also cherished the camaraderie he found as a member of Men Enjoying Leisure (MEL), a Chicago-area social organization for retired and semi-retired men, and took special pleasure in performing with its singing group, the Meltones.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the 92nd Street Y (92ny.org) or the Vasculitis Foundation (vasculitisfoundation.org). A private family service will be held. For information or to leave condolences, contact Shalom Memorial Funeral Home at www.shalommemorial.org or (847) 255-3520.