Leslie Derfler

Arnold Leslie Derfler

January 1933 – September 2022

Arnold Leslie Derfler died on September 3, 2022 in his home in Boca Raton, Florida. He was surrounded by his family. Leslie was born in New York, New York in 1933, the first son of Ruth and David Derfler. He attended City College of New York. After graduation, in his early twenties, Leslie served in the United States Army. Stationed in France, he developed a lifelong passion for European history, and devoted his life to its scholarship. After his return to the United States, Leslie continued his education at University of Chicago and later earned his PhD at Columbia University. Leslie taught history at Carnegie Mellon in Pennsylvania and Amherst College in Massachusetts before moving his young family to Florida in 1969 where he became a history professor at Florida Atlantic University. He remained at FAU for over thirty years, serving as the history department chairman and continuing his research. Leslie was a respected and admired professor who authored over a dozen scholarly books and academic articles. He was a disciplined and brilliant instructor and mentor who inspired his students, many who will always remember him. Until the last few years of his life, Leslie and his wife of 60 years, Gunilla, shared a passion for travel. Together they visited six continents and experienced the rich cultural diversity of many countries. He was truly at home in the world.

Leslie is survived by his beloved wife, Gunilla Derfler, and by his four daughters, Ingrid Elisabeth Derfler Ingalls, Linnea Derfler Polischuk, Astrid Derfler, and Elin Derfler, as well as his grandchildren Molly Ingalls, Katy Ingalls, Anders Kessler, Lars Erik Kessler, Sienna Polischuk, Daniel John Lincoln, Indigo Polischuk, Petrea Lincoln, and Cobalt Polischuk. He is also survived by his brother and sister-in-law Eliot and Helene Derfler.

Leslie will be deeply mourned and missed.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 2:00 PM on Sunday, September 25 at Glick Family Funeral Home in Boca Raton.

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