Philip Greenspan Obituary

Philip Greenspan, 77, of Skokie, Illinois, passed away on Tuesday, March 9, 1999, at 9 p.m., after living a long, fulfilling life of dancing, tennis, and electronics.

Born in Poland on April 10, 1921, Mr. Greenspan moved to Palestine in 1934. Two years later, in 1936, he immigrated to the United States. He went on to graduate from Crane Tech High School, Chicago, as Salutatorian, and served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. He saw action in New Guinea and the Philippines, and was awarded a Purple Heart.

Upon his return from the war, Mr. Greenspan attended the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and earned a Bachelor's of Science degree in electrical engineering as a member of the Class of 1948. He later completed his Master's Degree.

Mr. Greenspan was a loyal employee of Motorola, Inc., where he worked for 33 years. When he started with Motorola, it was a small company on Augusta Boulevard in Chicago with fewer than 200 employees. Mr. Greenspan was the No. 1 tennis player on the Motorola Corporate Tennis Team from the time he began with the company until he retired in 1985. He was also an esteemed member of the Chess Team.

He was known throughout the country for his dancing and his tennis. Mr. Greenspan was a ballroom dancer who danced at clubs throughout the Chicago area. Most recently, he danced away Sunday nights at Magnum's on Ontario Street. His daughter even spoke of his dancing on the Oprah Show.

He played tennis at many locations around Chicago, including Tam, Edens, and at Gompers and Waveland Parks, as well as at tennis courts in Flamingo Park, Florida.

Mr. Greenspan was Past President of the Free Sons of Israel Hakoah Lodge, where he played soccer into his 40s and organized dances for teenagers. He was a life-long athlete.

He was the beloved husband of Sylvia (nee Haberman); the devoted father of Jay (B.J.) Greenspan of Teaneck, New Jersey, Sharon Greenspan (Steven Lewin) of Riverwoods, Illinois, and Jeffrey (Eleanor) Greenspan of Skokie; the loving grandfather of Rachel and Sophie Greenspan, Shoshana and Samantha Lewin, and Eva, Michael, Jered, and Jason Greenspan; the dear brother of Dorothy (Jack) Marshak and the late Harold Greenspan; and the brother-in-law of Judy Greenspan.