Dr. Charles Ehrenpreis

Dr. Charles Ehrenpreis, 79, of Amherst, died Oct 27, 2017 at his home. He was born in Brooklyn, NY on February 15, 1938, the only child of Bernard Ehrenpreis and Leah (Tolen) Ehrenpreis, who later divorced. Charles grew up with his mother, called Lee, and his step-father, Donald Lester, in Brooklyn, where he attended the Brooklyn Community School and Erasmus Hall High School. Dr. Ehrenpreis received a Bachelor's and a Master's Degree in Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin, and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Yale University. He taught Mathematics at the University of Connecticut at Hartford, and later received a Master's Degree in Clinical Social Service and Research from the Bryn Mawr School of Social Work. Dr. Ehrenpreis studied Cognitive Therapy with Albert Ellis at the Institute for Rational Living (now the Albert Ellis Institute) in New York City and also studied Cognitive Therapy with Aaron T. Beck at the University of Pennsylvania's Mood Clinic and Center for Cognitive Therapy. He studied Ericksonian Hypnotherapy with Herb Lustig, MD, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) with Richard Bandler, John Grinder, and others, and became a certified NLP Practitioner in 1983. He started a private therapy practice in NH in 1978, and was a hypnotherapist, family therapist, and life coach in NH for many years, including teaching workshops and courses, and giving presentations, for the University of NH, Antioch New England Graduate School, Monadnock Family Services, and the NH Psychological Association. In the 80s and 90s, he and some of his closest friends started businesses offering technology, management, and organizational consulting services, including The Center for Human Cybernetics, and Executec, Inc. As a computer consultant, he spent several years readying financial institutions' legacy systems for Y2K, and programming NASA solar satellites for the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. A man of many interests and hobbies over the course of his life, he was always enthusiastic about good food, good friends, music, humor (especially Pogo, The Marx Brothers, Mel Brooks, and Carl Reiner), tools, books, and writing. At times in his life, he pursued interests in driving and repairing cars, photography and camera repair, playing classical guitar, golfing, skiing, shooting, carpentry and woodworking, politics and philosophy. His most persistent interests were mathematics, computers, and people, and his greatest passion was his drive to understand and make sense of human behavior. He cared enormously for his friends and family, and will be deeply missed by his loved ones and by his circle of beloved friends. Dr. Ehrenpreis became a resident of Amherst in August, after living in Milford for 34 years. He is survived by his wife, Angela (Ianiev) Graur Ehrenpreis of Amherst; his daughter S. Miria Jo and grand-daughter Zoe Tashjian of Topanga, CA, and his step-daughters Christina Simcic of Norwalk, CT and Elena Copuzeanu of Bucharest, Romania. A public memorial service will be held at a later date. Burial will be private.