Louis W. Shapiro, 96, a high school teacher for 45 years with Chicago Public Schools, died Monday, March 22, in his East Rogers Park home of congestive heart failure. Mr. Shapiro was raised in Logan Square and West Rogers Park. Of his eight siblings, now deceased, seven became teachers. Mr. Shapiro graduated from Crane Tech High School and then went to Normal College in Chicago to receive his teaching degree, said his daughter, Donna Morgan. Mr. Shapiro taught at McKinley High School and then spent 22 years teaching at Dunbar Vocational High School. There, he taught mechanical drawing and woodshop. He retired from teaching in 1972 when he was 65, and passed his passion for his work onto his daughter. “It was part of our family ethic growing up that seeing children learning was rewarding,” she said. He was married to Gertrude Rattner for 62 years until her death in 2000. Other survivors include five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at Memorial Park Cemetery, 9900 Gross Point Rd., Skokie.
