John Michael Schlessinger

John Michael ‘Mike’ Schlessinger, of Carrboro, NC, passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, December 31st, at age 88.

Mike is survived by his loving wife of 29 years, Nadine Waurin; his children, Caroline (Denis), Andrew, Nick (Gabrielle), and Larry (Rebecca); his grandsons Thomas and Peter; his siblings, Andrew (Katharine), Joseph (Elisabeth), and Julie; as well as many beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was preceded in death by his son Jacob.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Arthur and Ethel Schlessinger, Mike was fueled by a lifelong love of mathematics, receiving his undergraduate degree in the subject from Johns Hopkins University in 1959 as well as his doctorate from Harvard University in 1964. His academic focus and research was primarily in algebraic geometry, proving Schlessinger's theorem about representable functors of Artinian algebras and introducing Lichtenbaum–Schlessinger functors in deformation theory. A fellow of the American Mathematical Society, Mike held faculty positions at Princeton University, The University of California at Berkeley, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he ultimately retired Professor Emeritus. Even in retirement, he remained active in the mathematics community, working on his own math as well as holding ongoing meetings with graduate students.

Mike was fiercely devoted to his family and community. Upon seeing you, his face would light up with his signature smile, he’d give you a warm hug, offer you a coffee, and invite you to sit and catch up. He loved a trip to Topsail and bringing us all together for Passover, Christmas, or any excuse to share a meal and visit. Most importantly, if you needed a friend, you could count on Mike to be there for you, no matter what. A die-hard Orioles fan, he loved watching a game on TV as much as a classic movie, binging on Trailer Park Boys, or YouTube political debates, surrounded by those he loved - always with a seltzer (with ice) in-hand and better yet, some good food (especially a pastrami sandwich, fried chicken, or just ice cream and coffee). He will be so deeply missed but his spirit and the countless memories he helped to create will always be with us.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, January 18th at 2 pm at the Carrboro Century Center at 100 N Greensboro St in Carrboro. All are welcome and we encourage you to bring your memories of Mike to share with us.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his name to the American Mathematical Society (ams.org).