Edward J. Nussel

Edward J. Nussel, a dedicated husband, father, educator and tennis enthusiast, passed away on Jan. 24, 2025, in Sylvania, Ohio, after a long illness. He was 92.

Nussel was married to his beloved spouse, the late Lorraine R. (Varana) Nussel, for more than 67 years. They had three sons, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A lifetime academic, Nussel taught generations of students a variety of subjects for nearly 50 years, from elementary school children in Detroit to graduate students at the University of Toledo. He was a teacher of teachers. He passionately believed in the value of a college education.

Nussel was an avid sports fan, with tennis being his favorite. He played for more than 50 years in the Toledo area until he retired from competition at age 85. He also promoted and administered the sport as a longtime volunteer for the United States Tennis Association.

Travel was always on the Nussels’ agenda. The family took a major trip nearly every year until the boys entered college. After retirement, Ed and Lorraine traveled the world several times and attended all four major professional tennis tournaments — in Paris, London, New York and Melbourne, Australia.

Nussel volunteered for numerous charitable, religious and nonprofit organizations and was a generous donor to many education-oriented causes.

Detroit native, U.S. Army veteran

Nussel was born April 14, 1932, the son of Edward Nussel and Emily (Pearman) Nussel. He grew up on the west side of Detroit and graduated from St. Cecilia High School in 1949. He attended the University of Detroit, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in education and history in 1953. He earned a master’s degree in 1957 and a doctorate in education in 1964 from Wayne State University.

While a student-teacher in Ecorse, Mich., Nussel met his future wife. Ed and Lorraine married in October 1953. After the wedding, he served his country with a nearly two-year stint in the U.S. Army, which stationed him in postwar Germany as a specialist in support of the Military Police.

When he returned home, Nussel taught history and geography in Detroit elementary schools for nine years. In 1964, Nussel and his growing family moved to Ohio, where he became an assistant professor at the University of Toledo’s College of Education. He became a full professor in 1968, taking on a variety of key roles, including academic dean. He participated in numerous UT boards, committees and faculty organizations along with a wide variety of professional organizations.

International travels, African coup survivor

Nussel engaged in numerous academic presentations and lectures around the U.S., England, Canada and Brazil. In 1976, he participated in an educational fact-finding mission to the Central African Republic for the U.S. Department of State. It was not a productive trip. Nussel and other members of the mission barely escaped the country during an armed coup attempt against the reigning dictator at the time, Jean-Bédel Bokassa.

Nussel was a longtime advocate for public and parochial education systems in the Toledo area. He played key roles in accrediting several Northwest Ohio high schools for the former North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

As a UT professor, he steered a generation of teachers and school administrators seeking graduate degrees. He authored or co-authored four textbooks and numerous academic papers. He also served on faculty committees at UT and on boards of trustees, including Lourdes College, Sienna Heights University and Toledo Central Catholic High School.

For his achievements, Nussel earned a long list of academic honors, including entries in Outstanding Educators in America, Who’s Who in the Midwest and the International Who’s Who in Community Service. He received numerous accolades and awards from the organizations in which he served.

Nussel championed the value of a college degree. Every member of his family earned at least one degree, with one college-age grandchild working towards a bachelor’s degree today. At their 50th wedding anniversary celebration in 2003, Edward and Lorraine received from their sons a custom-produced front page of the Detroit Free Press with the headline, “Education Defines the Nussels.”

Nussel retired as a full-time UT professor in 1987 but remained active on campus as a professor emeritus for several additional years.

Tennis playing, serving

During this time, Nussel expanded his interest in tennis, both as a league player and as a volunteer for the United States Tennis Association at the local, regional and national levels. He participated on countless committees, boards and advisory panels. He was named president of the Midwest Tennis Association in 1996 and served on the board of the USTA for several years.

He captained his tennis teams at the former Laurel Hill Swim and Tennis Club in Toledo for decades and also competed in senior-level tennis tournaments around the Midwest well into his 70s and 80s. In the early 2000s, Nussel and his doubles partner earned a No. 1 ranking in the Midwest in the age 75-and-over division.

Nussel enjoyed traveling with his family throughout the U.S., Mexico, South America and the Bahamas. In 2011, the Nussels took their entire family on a Caribbean Cruise from New Orleans to Cozumel. He also enjoyed taking his children and grandchildren to high school, college and professional sporting events in Michigan, Ohio and elsewhere.

Nussel was preceded in death by his wife and his sisters, Emily Blankenship and Marjorie Dinco. He is survived by his sons Jay Edward (Jill) of Linden, Mich. Gregory Alan (Vanessa) of San Antonio, Texas, and Philip Gerard of Saline, Mich; grandchildren Steven of Toledo, Laura West (Brady) of Dexter, Mich., and Andrew of Kalamazoo, Mich.; and two great-grandchildren, Carter and Everleigh West.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Edward Nussel’s name to St. Pius X Catholic Church, 2950 Ilger Ave., Toledo, Ohio, 43606.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Walker Funeral Home, 5155 Sylvania Ave., Toledo, where a visitation will be held on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., with a Rosary service at 7 p.m. A funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, February 6, 2025, at 10 a.m. at St. Pius X Church with interment following at Resurrection Cemetery, 5725 Hill Ave, Toledo.