Mohamed Ibrahim Dessouky

إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ

"Indeed, we belong to our Creator and to Him we return”.

Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim Dessouky (December 20, 1926–December 31, 2023)

It’s hard to summarize nearly a century of one's life in a few short sentences, but everyone who knew Mohamed Dessouky will remember him for his charm, wit, passion for teaching, traveling, music, and generosity. He was a devoted husband, loving father, and nurturing grandfather. Much of his life including his final days in California were spent surrounded by his adoring family and friends, for which he had many. It seemed that anyone that came to know him fell in love with who he was. He had that magic touch.

Mohamed was born in Cairo, Egypt to Ibrahim Dessouky and Hanem Elsayed, whom he proudly credited for his thrill for learning and hard work. Mohamed met the love of his life, the late Ibtesam Abdel-Rahman Kolali at a summer camp in Egypt. Excited to start their new lives together, the two married and moved to the United States where they raised their four children, Sherif, Maged, Yasser, and Dahlia.

Mohamed’s favorite role even before retirement was that of being a grandfather. He and his wife treasured their time with their 13 grandkids and seldom failed to miss a graduation, dance/music recital, soccer game, or birthday. Mohamed and Ibtesam were also quite generous with their children and grandchildren, often hosting them in Aliso Viejo or on trips abroad.

Mohamed graduated from Cairo University before receiving a Master’s degree from Purdue University and a Doctorate degree from Ohio State University. He was a professor on the faculty of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for 22 years before joining Northern Illinois University as Chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering. He also served as Research Professor at Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Southern California. Since 1998 and for 25 years, Mohamed served as Editor-in-Chief of Computers & Industrial Engineering.

Mohamed will always be remembered for his gentle mannerism, humor, intellect, and love of family. His memory will live on in the hearts of all those who loved him. Mohamed is survived by his 3 sons, Sherif (Veronica), Maged (Monica), Yasser (Ruth), and daughter Dahlia (Saleh), and by his 13 grandchildren (Nathan, Alexander, Elissar, Mira, Jenna, Jamal, Julian, Jasmine, Leila, Sherif, Samir, Ramsis, Nadeen).

Mohamed will be laid to rest on January 4, 2024 in San Diego, California during a private family funeral. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Palestine Red Crescent Society would be greatly appreciated (Palestine Red Crescent Society (palestinercs.org).