Ilse J. Volinn Obituary (1913 - 2019)

Born November 27, 1913 in Vienna Austria; died October 20, 2019 in Seattle. Survived by her children, Jane Preuss (Rolf) and Ernie Volinn (Weining); grandchildren, Sasha Pruess (Mary) and Thea Dunlap-Preuss (Taylor ); two great-grandchildren, Sidney and Simon Preuss; and her brother, Carl Subak and his family. Preceded in death by her husband, Sidney. Ilse was a refugee, arriving in this country after she already obtained her PhD from the University of Vienna, and she continued her graduate education in sociology. Her life was imbued with compassion especially toward those considered to be socially disadvantaged or marginal. She was a leader in analyzing the social aspects of stigmatized diseases such as leprosy and AIDS, and her articles are cited in the scholarly literature to this day. In her own quiet but persuasive way, she was an activist for social justice and equality. She helped to bring people together through organizations such as the New Year's Callers and People for Progress in India. When Nobel Prize winners in literature were announced, she often read their novels in the original language--German, French, Italian, English. For more than half a century, she and her husband, Sidney, went skiing or hiking each weekend, no matter the weather. Later on in life, they went on long bicycle rides together. Graveside services will be held Saturday, October 26th at 2 PM at Calvary Cemetery 5041 35th Ave N.E., Seattle, 98105 Remembrances may be made to "People for Progress in India" PO Box 51231, Seattle, WA 98115 IRS 501( c ) (3); Tax Exempt ID: 91-1057315 Website: http://ppi-usa.org Hoffner Fisher & Harvey Guestbook at harveyfuneral.com To send a flower arrangement in memory of Ilse J. Volinn, please click here to visit our sympathy store.