Danuta Ehrlich

Dr. Danuta Ehrlich died on August 1, 2026, at the age of 95, in Chicago, Illinois. She was born on January 3,1931 in Warsaw, Poland. Her parents were Seweryn Ehrlich vel Sluszny and Felicia (Lubelczyk) Ehrlich, and she had an older sister, Irena Urdang Detour (1924-2022).

She was hidden with her mother during the war. They were reunited with her sister after the war and came to the United States in July 1946 on the SS Marine Perch from Bremerhaven, Germany to New York Harbor, with only $7 dollars.

Dr. Ehrlich received a bachelor’s degree from Queens College (1953) and a master’s degree from The University of Minnesota (1957), where she also earned a Ph.D. in Social Psychology (1958). She went on to do research at the Michael Reese Hospital and the University of Chicago, and published many papers in the 50s and 60s. She then decided to pursue clinical psychology and got her license to do so, subsequently working at the Illinois State Psychiatric Institute in Chicago. In 1975, she established a private practice, also in Chicago, until her retirement.

She was an avid skier and tennis player, and loved taking long walks. Revered as a wonderful cook by her friends and colleagues, she enjoyed hosting small dinner parties. While she remained single her whole life, she had a number of marriage proposals.

She is survived by two nieces, Nicole Urdang in Buffalo and Alexandra Urdang in Quogue, New York.