Timothy William Czech

November 15, 1974 - May 12, 2019

Timothy William Czech was born on Friday, November 15, 1974 in Chicago. He grew up at 1225 W Hood in the Edgewater neighborhood with his big brother Tony and his parents Alice and Bill. As a child, Tim enjoyed playing basketball and and baseball around the neighborhood, and before he was ten, he was easily the best player on the block, much to big brother Tony’s chagrin. Tim went to St. Gertrude’s School through 8th grade, and was a star both on the basketball court and on the stage for the production of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”. His athleticism continued to flourish in high school at St. Ignatius College Prep. Playing basketball and baseball all four years at St. Ignatius, he started as a sophomore on the varsity baseball team, and played varsity basketball as a junior and senior. In addition, he was named Athlete of the Year as a senior at St. Ignatius, the highest athletic honor given to a student during that time. Not only was he a tremendous athlete, he excelled academically at St. Ignatius, and it became clear during his high school years, that a true scholar was blooming in Tim Czech. While attending Boston College and pursuing a degree in Philosophy, many of Tim’s athletic pursuits gave way to his growing interest in more academic endeavors. In fact, his college friends couldn’t believe that he was so involved in sports in high school. He had truly transformed from an athlete to an academic. Following graduation from Boston College in 1996, he taught English as a Second Language for two years in Japan through the “JET” program, and as an added bonus was able to provide ESL classes to Japanese flight attendants as a side job. Upon his return to the United States, Tim pursued his PhD in Philosophy at CUNY, and wrote a dissertation entitled “On Dreaming”. He loved his time in New York and lived there for many years; Tim had so many interests and was fascinated by so many things, so New York was a perfect environment for him. After earning his PHD he taught as a professor at William Patterson University in New Jersey, with a special interest in the Philosophy of the Future. Despite all his accolades and accomplishments, Tim was truly humble in his heart, and quite honestly would probably prefer that bio wasn’t even published. But, Tim was an outstanding human being in every sense of the word, and his story needs to be told. Never have we known a kinder, more gentle soul, with such a brilliant mind and so much to offer this world. He has enriched countless lives, and the world was a much better place when he was here. No words can express how much you will be missed, Tim. We love you more than words can say. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Narcolepsy Network (www.narcolepsynetwork.org) and National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI - www.nami.org) would be most appreciated.