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Neal R. Cholvin

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Iowa State University

Neal Cholvin Obituary

Published by Legacy Remembers on Oct. 22, 2023.

Dr. Neal R. Cholvin, aged 94, passed away on August 24, 2023. He was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin to Elmer and Olympia Cholvin. He grew up alongside the Jump River in Wisconsin before eventually moving to Detroit at age eight.

Neal married Valerie Perkins in 1957. After 57 years of marriage, Valerie passed away in 2015. Neal and family lived across the U.S. but eventually took up permanent residence in Seattle in 1988. Among many other passions, Neal was an enthusiast of photography, science fiction, and astronomy throughout his life. Neal loved reading and keeping up on local, national and world affairs which his decades-long participation in the Olympic Club reflected.

He and Valerie instilled a love for travel, the outdoors, the environment, and adventure in their children by example and via many, many memorable family vacations and excursions. Throughout their lives, Neal and Valerie had many family pets and loved them dearly. They passed this passion on to their children from very early on.

Education was a through line in Neal's life; he obtained several post-graduate degrees which guided him in his professional work as a Veterinarian, Scientific Researcher, and in Biomedical Engineering. Neal was on the Veterinary Clinical Faculty at Michigan State from 1955-1959. From 1959 to 1982 he was a Researcher and Administrator at Iowa State University. At ISU he was also a Professor and served as Chairman of Biomedical Engineering and Chairman of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology. He left his academic career in 1982 to take the position of Manager of Experimental Surgery for Ethicon, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson), in Raritan, NJ. At Ethicon he and his team developed new suture materials and techniques, some of which are still used in surgery today. After 5 years at Ethicon, he "semi-retired" to partner with Valerie as realtors when they moved to the Magnolia neighborhood (Seattle) in 1988.

Neal is survived by their three children and their spouses: daughter Brooke (Greg), sons Craig (Stacy), and Mark (Suellen) and grandchildren Molly, Tucker, and Taneum. He took joy in mentoring the young people around him both professionally and personally. His thoughtfulness, story-telling, and sense of humor will be missed.

Please consider a donation in Neal's memory to either Science Bound or Rainier Scholars

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

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Taneum Fotheringill

October 22, 2023

Grandpa and I spent a lot of time together. We'd have dinner dates where we would discuss the latest updates with my job, life, and the state of the world at large. I'll always remember how deeply and sincerely he encouraged me. In fact, he was such a cheerleader and wisdom-giver for everyone around him. His mentorship of the young people he encountered stands out as something I will always admire about him. He cared so much about people being able to achieve their dreams and he was always ready to share advice. That advice often came in the form of his "sermonizing" as he called it with more than a hint of self-deprecation.

Grandpa and I worked on a few projects together which were deeply meaningful to us both. One was a memorial to my grandma, Valerie Cholvin, who passed away in 2015. Grandpa and I assembled some of her artwork and bound it together in book form for family members. We also undertook to write the annual Cholvin "Christmas" letters. These letters seldom - if ever - made it out by Christmas, but it was a longstanding tradition that Grandma and Grandpa used to create together until her passing. I was honored to step into this work with Grandpa and keep the letter going. We never got the final letter out, but Grandpa was determined to reach out to his friends and family who he hoped to hear from and catch up. To those of you who would have gotten a letter, know that Grandpa thought of you often.

I'm lucky to have had an especially meaningful moment with Grandpa before he wasn't able to communicate much more. He told me he was proud of me, that he loved me, and that he was glad to be my grandpa. I'll miss his frankness and grandfatherly encouragement. I'll miss his sense of humor and the stories he shared with us on repeat. I'll even miss seeing Chips Ahoy or Oreo crumbs in a stick of butter (yes, you read that right). He was a Midwest boy through and through. I feel lucky that I was able to know Grandpa so well - and I know that I'll always keep his memory near.