Obituary of Karl E. Nisoff

Karl E. Nisoff peacefully passed away on Tuesday, December 18, 2012. Born in Albany to the late Samuel and Frances Nisoff, Karl, known as "Pep" to his family and friends while growing up, graduated from Albany High School, Syracuse University College of Forestry and Albany Law School, where he served on the Albany Law Review. An attorney by trade, Karl began his career at Poskanzer and Muffson, Attorneys at Law, followed by the New York State Teachers Association where he served as House Council. For two years, he served as Assistant Attorney General in the Appeals and Opinions Bureau of the New York State Department of Law. For 23 years, he worked at the New York State Teachers' Retirement System, retiring in 1991 as General Council. He served on numerous committees including the Investment Committee of the Community Resource Federal Credit Union and the National Council on Teacher Retirement. He was a member of the Board of Directors and served as President of the National Association of Public Pension Attorneys. He spoke before many groups on pension law including the National Association of State Treasurers, National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Council on Teacher Retirement and argued in the highest courts at both the state and federal levels. He also testified before the U.S. Congress as an expert on a new federal pension fund. An avid sports fan, Karl religiously watched basketball and football games of his alma matter, Syracuse, and enjoyed traveling to the Carrier Dome to root for his team. He and his wife, Lynne, loved picnicking along the Hudson River and at Tanglewood, where they would listen to the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops every weekend in the summer. They also loved to visit historic homes. Karl loved gardening and, for years, maintained a large vegetable garden in his backyard. He loved learning and reading and retained what seemed to be every piece of information he ever read. He and his family also enjoyed traveling throughout the United States and Caribbean. In addition to his parents, Karl is predeceased by his sister, Judith Berger. He is survived by his loving wife of 37 years, Lynne, his daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer Nisoff and Scott Peterson of Alexandria, VA, his sister-in-law, Diane Griessel of Albany, his brother-in-law, Charles Berger of Manchester, CT and his nephew Harris Berger (Giovanna) of Bryan, Texas. He was very close to his surviving cousins, Daniel, David and Deb. He was a loving, generous and devoted husband and father. Services at the Levine Memorial Chapel , 649 Washington Avenue Albany, NY on Friday December 21, 2012 at 11:30 am. The family will sit shiva on Saturday, December 22, between 6 and 8 pm. For those who wish, contributions may be made to the American Lung Association, Designated Asthma Research, 1595 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY 14620.