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Richard Anton Stacewicz: 1958-2026

By Ann Goethals

Richard Stacewicz of Chicago, Illinois, passed away on January 15, 2026, at home, surrounded by his family.

Richard was born in Detroit, Michigan on February 10, 1958, attended Detroit Public Schools, The University of Michigan (BA; 1981) and the University of Illinois at Chicago (PhD; 1997). He was Distinguished Professor of Social Sciences and History at Oakton Community College from 1998 to 2019, receiving the Ray Hartstein Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2009. He was coordinator of the Oakton Honors Program from 2002 to 2009, during which time he also co-founded Students for Social Justice in 2004. This was an organization that empowered students to apply their classroom learning to the community and the world around them.

Richard led two student service trips to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to aid in cleanup efforts that extended for years after the disaster. He also accompanied a group of students to Standing Rock in 2017 to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline and to help Native activists weather the frigid temperatures during their standoff. He also served as an officer on the Oakton College Faculty Association. Prior to Oakton, Richard also worked as an adjunct professor at colleges and universities across Chicagoland from 1990 to1996, including Columbia College, Truman College, Kennedy-King College, Indiana University at Gary, Roosevelt University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Throughout his career, Richard stood out as an exemplary teacher, colleague, and mentor.

Richard is the author of Winter Soldiers: An Oral History of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (Twayne Publishers,1997), about which Howard Zinn wrote, "Winter Soldiers is an immensely valuable contribution to the history of the Vietnam War. It brings to life, through the words of the veterans themselves, the journey each individual made, through the crucible of combat, from warrior to protester." The book was inspired by Richard's witnessing of the arrest of Barry Romo (of Vietnam Veterans Against the War) on the streets of Chicago in 1991 during a protest against the Persian Gulf War. Barry introduced him to the dozens of veterans whom Richard tracked down all over the country to interview and bring into the conversation that is US history.

In addition to his many professional achievements, Richard also loved to travel, play guitar, and coach his children's sports teams. Accompanied by his wife Ann, he traveled by motorcycle across Europe, Canada, and the US multiple times, camping along the way. He coached his children's Lakeview YMCA and AYSO teams for over a decade, teaching countless young people to love sports.

Richard struggled with renal failure and other illnesses his entire adult life and was blessed with two kidney transplants, which enabled him to thrive personally and professionally. In his later years, he became a board member of the Kidney Project and a patient advocate with the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), traveling across the country for speaking engagements and publishing several essays on living with renal failure and on dialysis, again an exemplary role model. Richard was a tireless educator and activist, a loving husband and father, and a constant, generous friend to many. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Ann Goethals, his son Johnny Stacewicz (Meryl Hebets), his daughter, Sophie Goethals (Henry Hoffmann), and his sister Maria Bajor (Ed), who donated her kidney to him in 1995.

A celebration is scheduled for the spring.

Ann and Richard.