Dr Ismail Shariff Passes away
Green Bay - Dr Ismail Shariff of Green Bay, passed away on Tuesday January 18th, 2022 with family at his side after a two-year battle with cancer. He was born in Mysore City in India on December 5th, 1937, the second youngest of a family of 5.
After getting a Master’s Degree, he married Sajida Begum on October 16th, 1960. In late July 1961, their eldest son Mansoor was born. Three days after that, Ismail left India to pursue further studies in Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. With the guidance of his mentor, Professor Kenneth Parsons, Ismail received a Doctorate in Economics in 1965.
In February 1967, his second son Mazkoor was born in Madison and shortly after, Ismail was hired as an instructor at UW-Manitowoc, where he also served as the Assistant Soccer Coach (though he had never played in any organized sport in the past). Somehow, word spread to the offices of the Green Bay Packers that UW-Manitowoc had this foreign-born soccer prodigy. At the time, unbeknownst to the public, Packers kicker Don Chandler was nursing a sore leg, so the Packers invited Ismail for a tryout. He never took them up on the offer because: a) He could not kick a football to save his life and b) He was afraid of Lombardi's reaction when he saw that he could not kick a football. So ended his brush with the NFL.
In 1969, Ismail was hired as an Assistant Professor of Economics at UW-Green Bay. Over the course of the next 42 years, he lectured and mentored thousands of students. He won numerous awards and participated in on-campus projects and community outreach. He was promoted to Associate Professor, Full Professor and eventually Professor Emeritus. He was the Chairman of the Department of Economics for several years and named the Elizabeth B. And Phillip J. Hendrickson Endowed Professor of Business. He published dozens of papers in well-respected journals, wrote chapters in several review books and even authored some textbooks. He was a consultant for the World Bank and was also a guest columnist for the Green Bay Press Gazette.
In 1975, he took a two-year hiatus to serve as a United Nations Economic Advisor to the government of Nigeria. He spoke at multiple national and international conferences and was the keynote speaker at the International Institute of Advanced Economic and Social Studies meeting in Italy in 2002. At one point, his name was submitted for consideration for a Nobel Prize in Economics.
Ismail's story was one of great determination. He came to this country after a grueling 30-day trip on a cargo vessel; did not know a single soul in Wisconsin and had to achieve the American Dream on his own. He truly loved the US, his adopted country, for all the opportunities it gave him. He served as a role model for several generations of immigrants who followed him.
An avid sports fan, Ismail loved fishing, tennis and football. He never missed a Packer game, even delaying bypass surgery to watch a game in the early 1990's (pre-Favre, they lost to Philly 31-0). He also loved playing all kinds of card games, especially bridge. A voracious reader, he started each day by perusing the Green Bay Press Gazette and the Wall Street Journal while enjoying his tea and watching the birds flit around his well-stocked bird feeder. Married for over 60 years to his devoted wife, Sajida, they were one of the first Asian Indians to move to Green Bay and he was one of the co-founders of the Fox Valley Islamic Society.
The joy of his life were his children, Mansoor and Mazkoor; and especially his grandchildren, Alex, Zachary, Julia and Jacob. A doting grandfather, he showered them with treats, gifts, and love. All four of his grandchildren eventually graduated from UW-Green Bay and he was especially proud of that.
He was preceded in death by his parents Mahmoud and Begum; along with all of his brothers and sisters (most recently, his younger brother Dastagir), and his sister-in-law, Shakeera Rahman. He is survived by his devoted wife Sajida who was his primary caregiver and worked tirelessly to keep him comfortable in his last months; his two sons and their families: Mansoor, Kelly, Alex and Zachary; Mazkoor, Mary, Julia and Jacob; and his dear brother-in-law Obaid along with numerous nephews and nieces.
A prayer service was held at the Islamic Center of Wisconsin in Appleton on Wednesday, January 19th, 2022 with burial later that day at Riverside Cemetery in Appleton.
The family would like to thank the staff of caregivers at Unity Hospice for their support during the last three months of his life; the staff at Bishop's Court Memory Care for the kindness they showed Ismail in the final week of his life; Emily Wood, his at-home caregiver for helping keep him in his home environment as long as possible; Dr Todd Reynolds for his unwavering support and our wonderful friends and neighbors who pitched in to help in a variety of ways. It truly does take a village to fight cancer and we are blessed to have the support we did.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations be made to Unity Hospice, the Fox Valley Islamic Society or the faith-based charity of your choice.
