- State: Virginia
Abdullah (Al) Ersoz, 81 (or was it 84?), of Springfield, Virginia, departed this mortal plane April 22, 2023. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Rachel Ersoz, daughters Alisa (Daniel) Hewitt and Leyla (Ed) Andrews, and grandsons Lachlan, Sullivan, and Desmond. Dad’s age has always been a bit of a mystery. Born in the village of Sirataslar, east of Gaziantep, Turkey, his father firmly believed age 18 was too young to be conscripted into the miliary, and long said he’d changed the birthdates of his sons to make them officially three years younger. Perhaps this is true, perhaps not. What we do know is while our existence in this world is finite, opportunities to embrace life are everywhere. Dad’s life was no exception.
First leaving home to attend high school in Gaziantep, then completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Ankara, dad quickly realized his destiny was beyond his life in Turkey. He once said that he knew that what he wanted wouldn’t be found where he was, so he left to follow his ambition. Moving to the U.S. for graduate school and ultimately earning a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Georgia (where he met mom!), dad continued to make leap after leap into the new life he was building.
We often referred to dad as “the king of guest appearances.
