William H. Gofen

William H. Gofen, 92, of Chicago, died peacefully on December 13. He was born in Chicago on October 22, 1931, to Genevieve Cohn Gofen and Samuel M. Gofen. Raised in Hyde Park, on the South side of Chicago, Bill attended high school at the Harvard School for Boys and college at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he majored in English. He attended Harvard Business School, where he received his MBA in 1954. He then served for two years in the U.S. Army. In 1956, he joined Gofen and Glossberg, an investment counseling firm that his father had co-founded during the Depression. Gofen and Glossberg was one of his proudest legacies, growing under his leadership to become one of the most prominent independent investment counseling firms in Chicago. He took great pride in serving not just as an investment advisor to his clients but also as a trusted friend who offered wise advice and guidance on a wide range of issues. When he retired in 2019, he had completed 63 years at the firm. He married Ethel Elinor Caro in 1961, and for more than six decades, they enjoyed a rich cultural life of travel, opera, symphony, theater, dance, movies, books, fine dining, and wonderful evenings with many dear friends. Known for his warmth, humor, and generosity, he was also exceptionally devoted to his two children and five grandchildren.

He was engaged in philanthropic work throughout his career and for several years taught a popular course on investments at what was then known as DePaul University’s College of Commerce, where he donated funds so that the students could get real-life investment management experience by purchasing their classroom stock picks in an actual investment portfolio. He served on many nonprofit boards, including chairing the Board of Trustees of Spertus College and the Advisory Council of DePaul’s College of Commerce. He was a founding member of the University of Wisconsin English Department’s Board of Visitors. Other boards he served on include the Jewish Vocational Service, Michael Reese Service League, and Latin School of Chicago. He also served as a trustee of the State of Illinois Retirement System. In addition, he was a former president of the Standard Club. In his free time, he enjoyed a semiweekly tennis game, a monthly poker night, an occasional gourmet club dinner, and an annual guys’ trip to Jamaica.

He is survived by Ethel and also by their two children, Jill Gofen Parker (Geoffrey), and Charles Gofen (Mary), and five grandchildren, Samuel, Maxwell, and Andrew Parker; and Eric and Peter Gofen.

Funeral will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, December 18 at Chicago Sinai, 15 W. Delaware Pl. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the Jewish United Fund (JUF) or the charity of your choice.