THE PLAINS- Elizabeth Gierlowski Kordesch, age 59, of The Plains died unexpectedly Tuesday evening, May 17, 2016, at Ohio Health O'Bleness Hospital, Athens. Born Oct. 4, 1956 in Chicago, Ill., she was the daughter of the late Roman & Julia (Chorzempa) Gierlowski.
A graduate of Lourdes High School and the University of Chicago, she received her Ph.D. from Case-Western Reserve University. She completed post doctorate work at the Freie Universitaet in Berlin, Germany. She was a Professor of Geological Science at Ohio University since 1989. She was a member of several professional societies, including the Geological Society of America, and a founding member of the Limnogeology Division. She was President and Bradley Fellow of the International Association of Limnogeology. She was active in organizing Science Fairs for middle schools and high schools in Athens County.
Elizabeth is survived by her husband of 37 years, Martin E. Kordesch; her daughter, Alina Kordesch, currently teaching and studying in Toyko, Japan; two sisters and brothers in law, Regina (Gierlowski) & Richard Lukes of Berwyn, Ill. and Theresa Gierlowski & Chris Cummins of Lemont, Ill.
A memorial service will be conducted Thursday, May 26th at 6:00 p.m. at Jagers and Sons Funeral Home, Athens. Friends may call one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Please share a memory, a note of condolence or sign the online register book at www.jagersfuneralhome.com. Instead of flowers, contributions can be made to the Kelts Award. The Kelts Award fund provides support for undergraduate or graduate student research in limnogeology. The URL for donating to the Kelts Fund: https://www.gsafweb.org/donate/#fund=kerry-kelts-award