Eugene Shapiro

The proud child of Jewish immigrants, Eugene was born in 1928 in New York City. His first language was Yiddish and he remained a Yiddish speaker throughout his life. He attended Evander Childs High School in the Bronx, and studied engineering at City College of New York.

Eugene joined IBM in 1955, part of the pioneering generation of computer scientists. He led IBM teams and collaborators across three continents, responsible for foundational research and numerous patents in chip design and miniaturization, information storage, parallel processing, computer-to-computer networking and other crucial developments that shaped today’s technology-driven world. After retirement in the 1990s he remained an active leader of Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers, chairing IEEE’s Computer Packaging Committee and publishing influential papers charting the profound shift from Cold War-era mainframes to interconnected personal technology.

In 1958 Eugene married Frieda Cohen, whom he adored. They moved between Westchester County, Poughkeepsie and Boulder before settling in Stamford in 1968, and remained deeply committed to their community. He was a joyful and devoted grandfather. Alongside lifelong passions for music, history and the New York Yankees, throughout his life Eugene threw himself wholeheartedly into fresh pursuits and skills: photography, sailing, cycling, metalworking.

In addition to his wife, Eugene is survived by children Paula Some and Bruce Shapiro (Margaret Spillane), and grandchildren Justin Some (Shannon Some), Rachel Some and Aoife Spillane-Hinks (John Duddy).

Funeral services will be held at Leo P. Gallagher Funeral Home 2900 Summer St. Stamford, CT 06905 on Thursday January 23 at 10 AM, followed by burial at Temple Beth-El Cemetery. The funeral service will also be livestreamed on her page at www.leopgallagher.com. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Eugene Shapiro’s name to the National Yiddish Book Center or the Stamford Symphony/Orchestra Lumos. Shiva will not be observed, and following the funeral the family will be mourning privately.