Theodore "Ted" Joseph Kisiel, Ph.D., age 91, a resident of Winfield, Illinois, died on Saturday, December 25, 2021, at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois, after a long journey with Parkinson's and dementia.

Theodore was born October 30, 1930, in Brackenridge, Pennsylvania to Carl Kisiel and Carolina Ozog Kisiel. He was educated at the University of Pittsburgh, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1952. After several years working as a research metallurgist at Armour Research Foundation and a nuclear engineer at Westinghouse Atomic Power Division, he went on to study philosophy at Duquesne University, graduating with a Ph.D. in 1962. While studying and beginning his teaching career, he met a young literature Ph.D. student in the faculty lounge, Ida Marie Collura, and they married on December 26, 1963. From 1963-69 he taught as an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, before moving to Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb, Illinois in 1969 where he taught until his retirement. During his tenure at NIU he was an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Senior Fellow of philosophy (1970-71, 1974, 1981-82), a Presidential Research Professor (1998-2002), and he retired as a Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus in 2006.

A renowned authority on German philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889-1976), Theodore Kisiel is best known for his book The Genesis of Heidegger's Being and Time (University of California Press, 1993), which remains the authoritative study of how Heidegger's magnum opus came to be written. It was followed by a compilation of Kisiel's most important essays in the volume Heidegger's Way of Thought: Critical and Interpretative Signposts, edited by Alfred Denker and Marion Heinz (Continuum, 2002). Other important works include Phenomenology and the Natural Sciences , with Joseph Kockelmans (Northwestern University Press, 1986); the volume of essays Reading Heidegger from the Start , co-edited with John van Buren (State University of New York Press, 1994); and his translations of Heidegger's 1925 lecture course History of the Concept of Time (Indiana University Press, 1985) and of Werner Marx's Heidegger and the Tradition (Northwestern University Press, 1971). Author of more than 60 scholarly essays and translations, additional details on Kisiel's works can be found here .

Kisiel's many honors and recognitions included fellowships with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (1970-71, 1974, 1981-82), a Fulbright Research Fellowship in Philosophy (1984-85), the German Academic Exchange Service (1983, 1993), and the American Council of Learned Societies (1977-78). He held visiting professorships at Northwestern University (1973-74) and Duquesne University (1975), as well as a Fulbright Professorship in Bochum, Germany (1989). In 1966 he co-founded the Heidegger Circle , which remains the leading forum for the study of Heidegger's thought in the United States. Over the years, his works inspired and he personally mentored many scholars in the field. Avidly interested in world cultures, over the years he enjoyed his conference travels which took him to many worldwide locales, including Iceland, Croatia, Tunisia, and Greece. His collected papers and books will be donated to the Simon Silverman Phenomenology Center at Duquesne University.

Ted was a beloved husband and father and an adoring grandfather. He was often seen around Winfield on his daily bicycle rides, he enjoyed holiday dinners with family and friends, he took pride in supporting his daughters in their scholarly pursuits, and he could always be counted on for an up-to-date weather forecast. In more recent years, he found great pride and joy in his two grandchildren, Abigail (15) and Ella (13).

He is survived by his wife, Dr. Ida Marie Kisiel of Winfield, Illinois, two daughters, Dr. Caroline Marya Kisiel of Wheaton, Illinois and Dr. Cassandra Louisa Kisiel with husband Daniel Serpa and grandchildren, Abigail and Ella Serpa, of Evanston, Illinois. Ted was preceded in death by his brother, Chester Carl Kisiel (1929-1973) and sister, Betti Genevieve Kisiel Arsenault (1936-1976) and is survived by three sisters: Mary Kisiel Hilovsky of Ocala, Florida, Dorothy Kisiel Loebig of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Josephine Kisiel Klucinec of Stephenson, Virginia. He has 24 nieces and nephews and numerous great-nieces and great-nephews, many of whom remember competitive scrabble games with their Uncle Teddy.

Donations in Ted's honor may be made to the Heidegger Circle to support young scholars in the field. Please find the secure donate button at the Heidegger Circle website.

A private memorial service will be held on Sunday, January, 16, 2021 at 2:00PM CST.

Friends may view the service on a livestream at this link: Memorial Service for Theodore "Ted" J. Kisiel, Ph.D.

Here is a link to view the alcove dedication of Dr. Kisiel at Simon Silverman Phenomenology Center at Duquesne University: https://dsc.duq.edu/phenomenology-misc/7/