- December 29, 1929 - October 2, 2012
- South Bend, Indiana
of Edward's Passing
Memories & Candles
Previous
“Notre Dame's alumni magazine is to be complimented for its lovely memorializatio of Ed. Let me as one a year ahead of Ed at Prep, N.D. and going to...Read More »
”
1 of 17 | Posted by: John A. Maher, emeitus Dean & Prof. The Dickinson School of Law - GA
“Well done, good and faithful servant. May you rest in the peace of Christ.
”
2 of 17 | Posted by: Terri - former co-worker
“I wanted to say how sorry I am to hear of Edward's passing. I just saw this and have missed the services. He was a wonderful man and will be...Read More »
”
3 of 17 | Posted by: Allen Utterback - Granger, IN
“I received the news too late to travel to South Bend for today's service.
I remember Professor Goerner as a remarkable scholar and a steadfast role...Read More »
”
4 of 17 | Posted by: Peter Kelly - Chicago, IL
“Liza & Goerner Family, Please accept our heartfelt sympathy on the passing of your father. May his memory be eternal.
-All of us at Island Architects
”
5 of 17 | Posted by: All of us at Island Architects - CA
“Ed Goerner was the guiding light of my graduate career. He was my dissertation director; intellectual mentor and friend; and leader of the best...Read More »
”
6 of 17 | Posted by: Joseph Wilder - Tucson, AZ
“Prof. Goerner was an inspiring teacher. His Introduction to Political Theory class was one of the intellectual highlights of my education at Notre...Read More »
”
7 of 17 | Posted by: Tom Melsheimer - Dallas, TX
“Liza and family,
We are all deeply saddened for your loss. I never met your father, but by glancing through his biography I can tell that we would...Read More »
”
8 of 17 | Posted by: Tom Keck - San Diego, CA
“One of my great teachers at Notre Dame. I am saddened by his passing.
James M. Rhodes
Professor Emeritus of Political Science
Marquette University
”
9 of 17 | Posted by: James M. Rhodes - Milwaukee, WI
“We will always remember, his friendliness and graciousness.
We will miss seeing him at the Izaak Walton League monthly dinner programs....Read More »
”
10 of 17 | Posted by: Don and Joann Sporleder - IN
“Our deepest condolences to the your family. I have to smile when I think of the countless hours spent in your home and how warmly your dad always...Read More »
”
11 of 17 | Posted by: Cece Mast McTigue - friend
“My prayers and condolences are with Edward Goerner's family and friends at this difficult time. I have been fortunate to have had a number of...Read More »
”
12 of 17 | Posted by: David Horan - Dallas, TX
“Kate,
So sorry to hear of your father's passing. You and the rest of your family will be in our prayers at this difficult time.
”
13 of 17 | Posted by: Mike & Linda Munhall
“DEAR IRIS, PETER, LIZA, MEG.KATE,AND BECKY,
MY HEART BROKE TO HEAR OF EDWARD'S DEATH. HE WAS THE FINEST TEACHER I HAVE KNOWN IN MY 50 YEARS IN...Read More »
”
14 of 17 | Posted by: ALFRED KILLILEA - KINGSTON, RI
“Dearest Kate,
We are so sorry to hear about your dad. Knowing you, we are confident that he must have been an amazing, compassionate, wonderful man....Read More »
”
15 of 17 | Posted by: Win and Francesca
“Dear Liza & Family,
Please know that you are in our hearts and thoughts. May friends and family comfort you, faith uphold you, and loving memories...Read More »
”
16 of 17 | Posted by: Amanda Montgomery - San Diego, CA
“Liza & Family,
Our prayers go out to you and your family. May God Bless all of you and hold you close to his heart in your time of sorrow.
Friends...Read More »
”
17 of 17 | Posted by: Lourdes N. Silva, SDCERS - CA
Edward A. Goerner, of South Bend, IN passed away on October 2, 2012, at the age of 82. He was Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame.
He was born December 29, 1929, in Brooklyn, NY, the son of the late Dr. Alfred and Dr. Mary Margaret (Popp) Goerner. He was the third of four children and is survived by his sisters; Dr. Dorothy Ducker of Birmingham, MI and Alice Pike of New Orleans, LA. His brother, Father Basil Goerner, preceded him in death in 2008.
Following high school at Brooklyn Prep, he received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame in 1952. Upon graduation, he served in the United States Navy until 1955. He then enrolled at the University of Chicago, where he received a Ph.D. in 1959.
He is survived by his wife Iris Mensing Goerner, whom he married in December, 1996. He married the late Marilyn Rohrer in September of 1955, who preceded him in death in 1995. Their marriage produced five children: Peter Goerner of Greenwood, IN, Liza Crisafi (Tony) of San Diego, CA, Meg Collins (Shawn) of Naperville, IL, Kate Munhall (Bob) of Phoenix, AZ, and Becky Bach (Troy) of Portage, MI, and 10 grandchildren.
After receiving his Ph.D. he taught at Yale University, before joining the Political Science faculty at Notre Dame in 1960. The 1968 Notre Dame yearbook described the reason for his return as "... he felt more interesting things were happening in the government department." His specialties were Comparative Politics and Political Theory. He is the author of Peter and Caesar and editor of Democracy in Crisis and The Constitutions of Europe. His articles have appeared in the American Journal of Jurisprudence and Continuum. His articles on natural right versus natural law in Aquinas appeared in Political Theory. He was an Associate Editor of The Review of Politics.
His interests were many and diverse. He was an ardent camper, canoeist, kayaker and hiker, and a lover of classical music and opera. Edward was also an avid reader, cook, naturalist, and a conversationalist of the first rank. A fan of Notre Dame Football, he never relinquished his opinion that Frank Leahy was their greatest coach. For many years he lived at the Lilacs on Notre Dame Avenue, after having restored it in the early 1960's. He loved his children and grandchildren unconditionally and believed in their ability to learn and achieve whatever they could imagine.
The political philosopher, said Dr. Goerner in 1968, " would rather live lucidly and insecure than secure with an illusion." The political philosopher would not, as do power politickers, assume that it is inconceivable one might die, like Socrates and Jesus, for something noble.
Visitation will be from 2-6 p.m. Sunday, October 7, 2012 at Kaniewski Funeral Homes, 3545 N. Bendix Drive, South Bend, IN.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 9:30 AM on Monday, October 8, at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame, with Rev. Timothy R. Scully, C.S.C. officiating.
Memorial Donations can be made to the Center for the Homeless, 813 S. Michigan Street, South Bend, IN 46601; Sacred Heart Parish, University of Notre Dame, 104 The Presbytery, Notre Dame, IN 46556; or The Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556.
He will be interred at Cedar Grove Cemetery on the campus of Notre Dame at a later date.
To send condolences, please visit, www.kaniewski.com.
Upcoming Funeral Services
Interment
Cedar Grove Cemetery
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Click here to be notified when a service is added, or check back for updated information.
Visitation
October 07, 2012
2:00 PM
to 6:00 PM
Kaniewski Funeral Home
3545 N. Bendix Drive
South Bend, IN 46628
(574) 277-4444
Mass of Christian Burial
October 08, 2012
9:30 AM
Basilica of the Sacred Heart
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Interment
Cedar Grove Cemetery
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Get Directions
Notre Dame's alumni magazine is to be complimented for its lovely memorializatio of Ed. Let me as one a year ahead of Ed at Prep, N.D. and going to sea report that, at Brooklyn Prep, he was a championship velvet-smooth interscholastic debater and so mannered as to be a tribute to his parental home.
Posted by: John A. Maher, emeitus Dean & Prof. The Dickinson School of Law - Decatur, GA - B'klyn Prep, Notre Dame & Navy Jan 14, 2013
Well done, good and faithful servant. May you rest in the peace of Christ.
Posted by: Terri - former co-worker Oct 09, 2012
I wanted to say how sorry I am to hear of Edward's passing. I just saw this and have missed the services. He was a wonderful man and will be greatly missed. Please know of my prayers for Iris and the Goerner family.
Posted by: Allen Utterback - Granger, IN Oct 08, 2012
I received the news too late to travel to South Bend for today's service.
I remember Professor Goerner as a remarkable scholar and a steadfast role model.
I was blessed with the opportunity to introduce him for a speech in Chicago about a year ago. This gave me a opportunity, which I took advantage of, to share my admiration for Professore Goerner with him and with his audience.
Peter Kelly. class of 1970
Posted by: Peter Kelly - Chicago, IL - former student Oct 08, 2012
Liza & Goerner Family, Please accept our heartfelt sympathy on the passing of your father. May his memory be eternal.
-All of us at Island Architects
Posted by: All of us at Island Architects - San Diego, CA Oct 08, 2012
Ed Goerner was the guiding light of my graduate career. He was my dissertation director; intellectual mentor and friend; and leader of the best seminars I have ever experienced. I was enormously lucky to be his TA for several years. My regret is only that I could not have had more classes, more supervisions, more seminars and more discussions with him: If I had I would be commensurately wiser and better educated. Even though I did not ultimately become a
Ed Goerner was the guiding light of my graduate career. He was my dissertation director; intellectual mentor and friend; and leader of the best seminars I have ever experienced. I was enormously lucky to be his TA for several years. My regret is only that I could not have had more classes, more supervisions, more seminars and more discussions with him: If I had I would be commensurately wiser and better educated. Even though I did not ultimately become a professional political theorist (I found a different academic life), the way he taught me, the way he thought, and what he thought and wrote and modeled have profoundly guided my own intellectual and affective life and, as others have mentioned, influenced how I have raised my own children and supported their own educations. A truly great teacher -- with an inimitable style -- whose influence is felt, in unnamed ways, down generations. I will never think about Aristotle and Thomas without reference to Ed and his gem-like, seminal work on them. And I will never forget one seminar, with John Roos, that was consumed with the deep, relentless reading of Unger's Knowledge and Politics: probably the most intellectual fun I ever had in a class. I am shocked and sorry for this loss and my deepest condolences and sympathy go to the entire Goerner family: your warmth and kindness and passion for the world is a testament to the man he was. I will never forget him and I will always be grateful for being his student.
Posted by: Joseph Wilder - Tucson, AZ - former student, Ph.D.1986 Oct 07, 2012
Prof. Goerner was an inspiring teacher. His Introduction to Political Theory class was one of the intellectual highlights of my education at Notre Dame. The Camus class he taught at his home was like being asked backstage at an intellectual rock concert. Far from a dry academic, Prof. Goerner had a style and flair unmatched by any other professor I experienced at Notre Dame. He accompanied me and a few dozen classmates in the inaugural London program in the spring
Prof. Goerner was an inspiring teacher. His Introduction to Political Theory class was one of the intellectual highlights of my education at Notre Dame. The Camus class he taught at his home was like being asked backstage at an intellectual rock concert. Far from a dry academic, Prof. Goerner had a style and flair unmatched by any other professor I experienced at Notre Dame. He accompanied me and a few dozen classmates in the inaugural London program in the spring of 1982. I still recall the pub lunches with him all these years later. He was insightful, funny, and demanding. When he said you made a good point or had a good argument, it really meant something. And more than a few of us wished we could be cool enough someday to wear a cape when the weather turned cold.
Posted by: Tom Melsheimer - Dallas, TX - Former student Oct 06, 2012
Liza and family,
We are all deeply saddened for your loss. I never met your father, but by glancing through his biography I can tell that we would have had a lot to talk about: serving in the US Navy, attending the U of Chicago, even European politics!
Our thoughts and prayers are with you in this difficult time.
With deepest sympathy,
Tom, John, Monte and the StepStone team
Posted by: Tom Keck - San Diego, CA - Colleague of Liza Oct 05, 2012
One of my great teachers at Notre Dame. I am saddened by his passing.
James M. Rhodes
Professor Emeritus of Political Science
Marquette University
Posted by: James M. Rhodes - Milwaukee, WI - Student Oct 05, 2012
We will always remember, his friendliness and graciousness.
We will miss seeing him at the Izaak Walton League monthly dinner programs.
Affectionately,
Don and Joann Sporleder
Posted by: Don and Joann Sporleder - South Bend, IN - Colleague and friend Oct 05, 2012