Stanford S. Apseloff

English Professor, Poet, and World War II Veteran

Stanford S. Apseloff of Kent, Ohio, died February 22, 2023, at the age of 99, five years to the day after his beloved wife, Marilyn. He spent most of his adult life teaching English at Kent State University, and his love of the written word was exceeded only by his love of family.

At Kent State University, he dedicated his career to helping and educating students.  He also arranged for authors to give guest lectures (including major literary figures such as Joseph Heller, author of Catch-22), and he traveled to conduct research and to interview other writers (including James T. Farrell, author of Studs Lonigan). In addition to his work at Kent State, Stanford taught English in exchange programs at the University of Warsaw in Poland, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, and Vilnius University in Lithuania. In his free time, he played chess and bridge (into his nineties), and during his summers he liked to fish for tuna off the coast of Cape Cod.  His other interests included making jewelry and glass art. For many years after his retirement, he continued working with glass at the university studio, and he continued his research and writing. He deciphered several lines in Shakespeare’s plays that had remained incomprehensible to readers for centuries, and he wrote scholarly articles on American and British literary figures and their works. Most recently he published his own book of poetry, Now Poems: from Babe Ruth in Boston to The Mirror on the Wall, in 2012, at the age of 88.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1923, to Isaac and Lillian Apseloff, Stanford grew up during the presidency of Calvin Coolidge, then Herbert Hoover in the Great Depression. He served in the Army Air Forces (AAF) from 1943 until being honorably discharged in 1946. During the war, he served in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater and was stationed at the 1596th AAF Base Unit in North Africa.

After the war, Stanford returned to his hometown and attended the University of Cincinnati, first as an undergraduate, then as a graduate student. There he met Marilyn Fain, who became the love of his life. They married in 1956 and remained married until her passing 61 years later. For 65 years, until his passing, he lived in the same house where he and Marilyn raised their four children. He is survived by his sons, Roy Apseloff (wife Melanie Rowland) and twins Stanford Apseloff (wife Svetlana Koliada) and Glen Apseloff (wife Lucia LaBoy-Apseloff); daughter, Lynn Susan Apseloff; granddaughter, Natalie Apseloff; and grandsons, Nicholas Apseloff, Evan Apseloff, and Ryan Apseloff. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Sidney and Albert, and by his sisters, Mary, Frieda, Bernice, Helen, and Hannah.

Calling hours will be held from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. Saturday, March 18, 2023 at Bissler & Sons Funeral Home, 628 W. Main St. Kent, OH 44240. PLEASE DO NOT SEND FLOWERS. Donations may be made to the Kent State University Glass Studio. Mail donations should be addressed to KSU Foundation, Inc., in memory of Stanford Apseloff, c/o Pam Hutson, KSU College of the Arts, Cartwright Hall, 650 Hilltop Dr. Kent, OH 44242. For electronic donations go to www.kent.edu and select Give Now in the upper right-hand corner. Then select or add the amount of your donation, check the box to “dedicate my donation in honor or in memory of someone,” and enter “Stanford Apseloff.” Under “CUSTOM DESIGNATION,” type “School of Art/Glass 10020.” Complete your information and payment preference, and submit.

Services in care of Bissler and Sons Funeral Home and Crematory.