Edward Charles Kokkelenberg
Age 87, of Pittsford, New York
Born October 15, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois.
Passed into Eternal Life July 31, 2023
Formerly of Ithaca, NY (1994-2018), Vestal, NY (1980-1994), and Chicago, IL.
Husband of the late Janet Elaine Steiner of Pittsford, New York, and father of Thomas B. Kokkelenberg (Jessica), Edward J. Kokkelenberg, Paul H. Kokkelenberg (Debbie), Diane M. Boldt (Jeffery), and Katherine S. Higgins. Grandfather of Edward Anthony, Jessica, Jonathan, Kristen, Emily, Madeline, James, and Lucas; great-grandfather of Paisleigh, Gabriel and Eleanor.
Edward grew up in the northside of Chicago, and went on to earn his BS in Chemical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1957, his MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago in 1964, and his doctorate in Economics from Northwestern in 1981.
After he received his doctorate, Edward joined the faculties of Economics and Finance at the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he served as Chairman of the Economics Department for seven years. He had several notable publications in his field of expertise, and received numerous awards for his research from the American Statistical Association, the National Science Foundation, and the US Department of Labor, among many others. He was very proud of the achievements of his many doctoral candidate students, and stayed in contact with them for decades.
Edward and the love of his life, Janet, traveled across the continent by road, rail, and air; took numerous Atlantic and Pacific Voyages; transited the Panama Canal and the St. Lawrence River; spent sabbaticals in Italy; traveled through much of western Europe, England, and Scotland; and visited Mexico and Canada many times. They traveled well together and had wonderful memories.
Edward volunteered his time in retirement: he was a fire commissioner in Danby, NY, an alumni advisor to the Cornell Chapter of Alpha Sigma Phi, he served in several positions for Loaves and Fishes in Ithaca, NY, and was a member of the Pittsford Volunteer Ambulance board. Together with Janet, they coordinated the Ithaca Rotary Club’s Books for the World project, where they collected and shipped over 100,000 books to needy libraries and schools overseas. In 2015, Edward and Janet traveled to Ghaziabad, India, to participate in a national polio immunization drive.
Edward was a lifelong sailor, competing in races on Lake Michigan in the 1960s and sailing on Cayuga Lake for many years. He was also an avid hiker, hiking the entirety of the Finger Lakes Trail, parts of the Appalachian Trail, and one particularly memorable hiking adventure in the Swiss Alps.
Although Edward had many accomplishments throughout his long life, he was most proud of his five children and their families.
Services will be held August 5, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. at Christ Church in Pittsford.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to ShelterBox ( www.shelterboxusa.org ).