Michael John Gootzeit's Obituary
Michael Gootzeit of Memphis, TN died peacefully at home on August 30th, 2022. He was the son of Ethel and Louis Gootzeit. Michael was born in Bayside, NY on May 11th, 1939. He was awarded a BS degree from City College in NYC and a Ph.D in Economics from Purdue University in Indiana. As an undergraduate he was enrolled in the ROTC program and upon graduating from Purdue served in the Army for 2 years. In his professional life he worked as an Economics Professor at the State University of New York at Albany and subsequently as a Professor at the University of Memphis from 1975 until his retirement in 2016. Michael wrote numerous articles on economic topics, authored a book titled Ricardo. He also initiated the online access to courses for his department and presented and participated in a series of Economic conferences both in the US and in Europe. He and his wife Judy enjoyed attending those conferences together especially in Italy once a year. As a professor he held high standards for his students and cared about and nurtured their competence as they entered the work force. He enjoyed his career immensely and was deeply gratified and proud to be able to organize, synthesize, present and pass on his knowledge. In his private life, as a teenager, Michael found great joy in playing the trombone with a high school band, and as an adult was an enthusiastic swimmer, lifting weights at the rec center, and an early morning jogger. He traveled extensively in Europe, found joy in exploring culture, perusing museums and consistently reading books on the New York Times fiction best seller list. An additional source of pleasure was an intense interest in gourmet food. He served as food critic for upscale restaurants, was a serious evaluator of food ingredients and was able to enjoy the creative, savory cooking of his wife Judy. In his work and financial life he was disciplined, organized, detailed, & focused. He had a quirky, playful and witty sense of humor and word play, and his responses were original and imaginative. To his family and friends he was a warm, openhearted, tender, forgiving and a loving presence. If family problems arose he was always there with a concerned, accepting, empathic and compassionate presence. There was never a doubt of his abiding love, support and loyalty. He will be deeply missed! Michael is preceded in death by his beloved wife Judy Senter Gootzeit. Survivors include his children Samuel Gootzeit, Suzanne Pampus, Amanda Gootzeit, Esther Nelson - and their respective spouses - his grandchildren Ladan, Shelby and Gabriel, and his great grandchildren Jude, Ashyr, and Finley and his sisters Henny Powers and Elaine Strassberg.
A private service will be held in Memphis. Family members request privacy at this time.
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