In Remembrance is an occasional column featuring short obituaries of CAS members who have recently died. Longer versions of these obituaries are posted on the CAS website at http://www.casact.org/pubs/proceed/index.cfm?fa=pastind.
THE COMPANY MAN
Earl F. Petz (FCAS 1952)
1925-2012
Earl Petz was an Illinois Institute of Technology graduate and a Navy veteran, who spent his entire actuarial career with one company: the Lumbermen’s Mutual Casualty Company — part of Kemper Insurance Companies. He retired from Kemper in 1991 as chief actuary.
Petz earned his ACAS in 1951 and his FCAS 1952. He was a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries, the latter in which he was very active, serving on its Admissions Committee in 1978 and the Committee on Social Insurance in 1980.
In 1973 he published a discussion of the PCAS paper, “Allocated Loss Expenses Reserves,” by Allie V. Resony, and in 1974, he published the paper, “Testing and Evaluating Loss Expense Reserves,” in the Proceedings of the Insurance Accounting and Statistical Association.
Petz also played bassoon for the Evanston Symphony Orchestra in Illinois.
He is survived by his wife, Roberta, and daughter Jeri. His daughter Susan predeceased him.
WIFE, MOTHER, BUSINESSWOMAN
Abbe B. Gasparro (ACAS 1996)
1963-2013
Abbe Gasparro was a giving person, ready with a smile and a kind word.
Born Abbe Binkowitz in Brooklyn, New York, on November 17, 1963, Gasparro graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in math in 1985. She married Don Gasparro in 1993 and earned her ACAS while working in various posts for American Re-Insurance Company in Princeton, New Jersey. She was vice president for the company from 1998 to 2002.
Gasparro took a break from business to raise her children, Dominick, Vincent and Gianna. She was involved in their school and her local community. She returned to the actuarial field around 2010; her last post was vice president for Everest Reinsurance Company in Liberty Junction, New Jersey.
She is survived by her husband of 20 years, Don; her children; her father, Joel Binkowitz; and her brother and sister-in-law, Bruce and Rachel Binkowitz. Her mother, Rhonda Binkowitz, predeceased her.
Contributions may be made in Gasparro’s name to the Carcinoid Cancer Foundation, 333 Mamaroneck Avenue 492, White Plains, New York 10605.
A SON OF FINLAND
George A. Rudduck (ACAS 1975)
1938-2013
George Rudduck loved Finland.
He was born June 4, 1938, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, an area of vast Nordic immigrant settlement. This Finnish fascination led to his involvement with the Finlandia Foundation of Colorado, an organization devoted to preserving the Finnish culture. He and his wife joined the group after moving to the Denver area in the 1980s, when he began work for Tillinghast. He was the group’s webmaster and accounting officer.
In a memorial tribute, Dan Kamunen of the Finlandia Foundation of Colorado called Rudduck a loyal and faithful servant and thanked him for his many years of wisdom, advice and work.
He earned a mathematics degree from the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 1961 and served in the Army National Guard for Minnesota and North Carolina.
Rudduck is survived by his wife, Helen; children Scott Rudduck of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, and Liisa Mulbrecht of Woodlands, Texas; and five grandchildren; and a brother and two sisters.
LEARNER AND TRAVELER
Scott Andrew Martin (ACAS 1995)
1968-2013
Scott Martin made it a point in his life to live and work in different places — to learn what life had to offer in other climes.
Born in the Kitchener/Waterloo area of Ontario, Canada, he graduated from the University of Waterloo in 1992 and headed to Canada’s West Coast to work for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia in Vancouver. From 1997 to about 2004, his career allowed him to work in Barbados with P&C Limited, Toronto with KPMG LLC and St. Paul, Minnesota with St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company. He finally made his home in Seattle where his last post was as vice president and chief actuary with Mattei Insurance Services, Inc.
Martin died suddenly from a seizure at his home on August 16, 2013. He is survived by his parents, David and Rowena; brothers Brett in England and Craig in Australia; and special friend Tove.
FAMILY FIRST
Jill A. Frackenpohl Jordan (ACAS 2008)
1975-2014
Jill Andrea Jordan of Morristown, New Jersey, died on June 7, 2014, at the age of 38. Jordan had a distinguished career in the insurance industry, the last 10 years spent at Crum & Forster where she was an assistant vice president and actuary.
Born Jill Frackenpohl on September 30, 1975, she grew up in Denville, New Jersey. She attended the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and earned a BS in math. She married her college sweetheart and together they had four children.
She found joy in creating special memories for her children. She especially enjoyed traveling with her family to North Carolina’s Outer Banks and to Walt Disney World. Jordan was also the go-to person for ideas about home remodeling, weddings and vacation planning.
She is survived by her husband; children Edgar IV (Eddie), Cole, Tate and Carina; parents, Herb and Judy Frackenpohl; three sisters; and a large extended family.
NUMBERS, MUSIC AND FATHERHOOD
Kevin J. Atinsky (FCAS 2004)
1970-2014
Kevin Atinsky had a unique ability to derive insight from numbers. “He was always trying to understand the story behind the numbers,” said Chad Karls, FCAS, a long-time colleague of his from Milliman in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Atinsky learned his craft at the firm, starting as an entry-level student taking exams and ultimately becoming a principal.
His inquisitive mind for numbers also translated into a deep passion for music. Songwriting was an outlet for his personal thoughts and he collaborated on several original pieces for his three-member band, Gypsy Son. Bandmate Paul Kueler, a colleague of his from Milliman, played bass to Atinsky’s rhythm guitar. “Music was a language of expression for his life,” Kueler said.
When he became a father, however, Kevin Atinsky turned his devotion to his children: Madeline, Alex and Marlee. Atinsky is also survived by his parents, his former wife and his brother-in-law William Heyman. His sister, Jodi L. Heyman, died in 2013.
So Many Times By Kevin Atinsky
One way to remember me,
To reflect on times so fancifree.
The key to success in life
Is to walk on by in times of strife.
I’ve been there so many times.
So many times so many times.
And I thank you so deeply,
So deeply, so deeply.
CAS staffers Alice Chambers, Donna Royston, Sonja Uyenco, Elizabeth Smith and Cheri Widowski contributed to this article.
