Maurice Segall

Maurice Segall, born in Joliette, Canada, May 16, 1929, passed away peacefully at home in his sleep on January 16, 2023, in Needham, Massachusetts. Beloved husband, father and grandfather, he was predeceased by his wife, Sarah (Ostrovksy) Segall.

Maurice began his long and illustrious academic and business career as an Economist with the Canadian Government after graduating with Honors from McGill University in Montreal. He also earned a Master’s Degree from Columbia University in New York and did graduate work at the London School Of Economics. In 1955, he became Executive Assistant to the President of Steinberg’s Limited in Montreal, and in 1961 JC Penney himself recruited Maurice to be the Director of JC Penney’s Treasury Store Division and Director of Operations in New York. He joined American Express in 1970 where he became Executive Vice President of American Express with general management authority over the Credit Card Division, where he left his mark as the key figure in the redevelopment of the Card. In 1978, Maurice became Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Zayre Corporation in Massachusetts where he turned the Company around, created BJ’s Wholesale Club, and expanded the TJ Maxx division, among other achievements.

Maurice remained active after his retirement and was a Senior Advisor to the Boston Consulting Group as well as a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management in Cambridge, MA. He was a devoted and loved teacher bringing his real world experience into the classroom. He sat on many corporate Boards such as Shawmut National Corporation, American Airlines (where he chaired the Compensation Committee), Harcourt General, New England Telephone, and along with his wife was a Trustee of Massachusetts General Hospital, the Beth Israel Hospital, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Maurice and Sarah were loyal Democrats, often donating money to political campaigns.

Maurice was not just a successful executive and academic but also an avid tennis player with a wicked forehand. He was an enthusiastic golfer with an accurate wedge and an outstanding poker player who could compete against the best, which was his passion. His children hope that when he passed he was dreaming of holding a Royal Flush, with a full complement of chocolate wafers and ice cream by his side.

He is survived by his children: Elizabeth, Eric and Peter Segall, their spouses: James Sagui, Lynne Segall and Jacqueline Segall and his six grandchildren: Jessica, Andrew, David, Madeline, Sara and Kai Segall. Maurice’s keen intellect, sense of humor, generosity, smile and sparkling eyes will be sorely and deeply missed, always.

Services will be private.