Illich's brother Sascha - 1928-2009

The following obituary was published by an MIT alumni organization, concerning one of Illich's younger, twin brothers. We met him briefly at State College, Pa., in Nov. 2004:



Alexander J. Illich died on June 30, 2009 in Nantucket, MA after enduring eight years of Parkinson's disease. Born Aleksandar Ilic in Vienna, Austria on November 30, 1928, he changed his name to Alexander John Illich, but he went by Sascha most of his life. During the war his family was forced to leave the family villa in Vienna, relocating to Florence where he received his architectural training at the University of Florence. In September 1949, after working for a period of time in Florence creating housing and academic buildings, he immigrated to the U.S., living in Milwaukee from 1949 to 1951, designing and detailing religious and industrial structures. In 1951 he joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, serving in Munich in the European theatre during the Korean War and using his skills to design and supervise construction of post-War military installations. Upon his return to the U.S. in 1953 he continued his career with Raymond Loewy Associates as an interior designer. From 1954 to 1955 he completed his architectural degrees at MIT in Boston. Between 1955 and 1971 he worked for Designs for Business in NYC, where he rose to the position of vice-president. Sascha spent several years in the early 70s in Cuernavaca, Mexico, leading seminars with his brother, Ivan Illich at the Center for Intercultural Documentation. From 1971 to 1991 he was an independent architectural and design consultant, working in the U.S. and Europe. He was at the forefront of space planning, alternative architecture, energy efficient design and computer graphics. Sascha was predeceased by his brother Ivan Illich. In addition to his wife Beverly, he is survived by his twin brother Micha of Watermill, N.Y. and Vienna; four children Yvonne, John and Peter Illich, and Anne-Helene Illich Desseaux; and five grandchildren. He is also survived by his first wife Daisy C. Illich and second wife Anne Ide-Kostic.