Charles Chostner Marboe

Charles "Chuck" Chostner Marboe, MD, professor emeritus of pathology and cell biology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, mentor and friend, passed away on August 4 at the age of 75 in Evanston, Illinois, surrounded by family and loved ones.

Born to the late Robert Fenton Marboe and Evelyn Chostner Marboe on May 16, 1950 in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, Chuck was the oldest of three children and enjoyed traveling and camping with his family. An active scout in Troop 31 of State College, Pennsylvania, he attained the rank of Eagle Scout in 1964 and served as the Senior Patrol Leader for an Eagle Scout Service Corps troop at the 1964 New York World's Fair. He graduated from State College Area High School in 1967, where he was class president and excelled on the basketball team.

The son of faculty members at Pennsylvania State University, Chuck was exposed to a life of academic and scientific achievement from a young age. Following high school he enrolled at Princeton University, where he was a member of the Terrace Club, participated in the Science in Human Affairs Program, and completed his A.B. in biology in 1971. While an undergraduate, Chuck met Barbara "Bonnie" Campbell Hewson, who he married on August 31, 1973 in Nantucket, Massachusetts - beginning more than 50 years of steadfast love and partnership.

Chuck earned his M.D. at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and went on to pursue his pathology internship and residency at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in the City of New York. Following the completion of his medical training, Chuck accepted a faculty appointment in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia University, where he would remain for his entire career.

In 1996, he was appointed vice chair and director of anatomic pathology services and directed Columbia's pathology residency program for 25 years. He served as vice chair and director of education and professional development from 2009 until his retirement in 2021.

While peering through microscope eyepieces for decades did not do any favors for his eyesight, Chuck gained international recognition over a remarkable career as a leader in the field of cardiac pathology, co-authoring more than 200 peer reviewed manuscripts. He played a central role in advancing diagnosis and management of heart transplant rejection, helping to shape transplant care and improve outcomes for innumerable patients worldwide.

In 2016 he was inducted as an inaugural member of Columbia's Academy of Clinical Excellence, and the Virginia Apgar Academy of Medical Educators. Internationally, he contributed to medical education in sub-Saharan Africa, most notably helping develop a histopathology residency curriculum at the National University of Rwanda.

Chuck was a generous and caring mentor to a generation of medical students and trainees. In the final weeks of his life, tributes and reflections poured in from former residents, fellows, peers, and colleagues who wrote of the profound impact Chuck's thoughtful leadership, generous spirit, and personal example had on their professional and personal lives.

A longtime resident of Larchmont, New York - where he and Bonnie raised their children - Chuck forged deep connections as a deacon of the Larchmont Avenue Church, member of the Larchmont Yacht Club, and as a beacon visible from great distances on the sidelines of soccer fields across southern Westchester County.

Possessed with a mischievous sense of humor and an imaginative spirit, Chuck was deeply engaged in the lives of his daughters. And, beyond his deceptively stoic demeanor and unassuming presence - which persisted despite his great height - Chuck forged community as a reflex, opening his home and heart readily and without precondition.

Among the many remarkable qualities that defined Chuck's character, the near total lack of personal artifice stands out. As such, any deflection into euphemism regarding his cancer diagnosis and treatment would likely offend his sensibilities as a physician and scientist. However, when the end did come, it could best be characterized as appropriately reflective of the quiet dignity that defined him for so many.

Chuck was preceded in death by his daughter Kari Keach Marboe, and sister Carol Ann Marboe. He is survived by his wife Bonnie, daughter Elinor Campbell Marboe (Keegan Olson) and grandson Noah Danger Olson-Marboe of Chicago, IL; brother Dr. Richard C. Marboe (Rose Marboe) of State College PA; sisters-in-law Jane M.C. Hewson of South Londonderry, VT and Helshi Lockwood Tunnell Hewson of Darien, CT; and a host of devoted cousins, nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and -nephews, extended family members and friends who treasured his humor, listening ear, penetrating intellect, reassuring presence, gentle nature, and abiding love.

In lieu of flowers, those seeking to honor Chuck's memory may direct contributions to the Kari Marboe Endowed Scholarship Fund at California College of the Arts, or to the Dr. Charles Marboe Lecture Fund at Columbia University's Department of Pathology and Cell Biology.