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John Straughn Obituary
March 16, 1948 - September 7, 2024
John Straughn of Madison, Wisconsin, died unexpectedly at home on September 7th.
He graduated from Madison West High School in 1966 and went on to UW-Eau Claire majoring in chemistry, mathematics and physics.
After receiving a masters in chemistry at UW-Madison, he obtained a position with the University of Wisconsin Safety Department as a chemist for 26 years. His love of classical music eventually led him to a part-time job with the Madison Symphony Orchestra as Property Manager where he worked for 41 years.
He was a voracious reader and after his retirement, he looked forward to spending his days catching up on scientific magazines. A good day for him was a day spent pondering the physics of the universe, practical mathematics (if there was a way to develop a formula to solve a problem, he would find it), geology and other earth sciences. He was also an avid bike rider around Madison and beyond.
He is pre-deceased by his parents, Dr. Robert and Margaret Straughn (Madison, WI) and survived by his brother, Rob Straughn and sister-in-law, Linda (Verona, WI), and sister, Mary Ellen Straughn and brother in-law, Chris Moore (Indianapolis, IN).
John was a gentle soul who had stories to tell and liked sharing interesting scientific facts he discovered in his reading. He had an amazing memory and kept his siblings in touch with their history. He will be missed for his delightful, quirky personality and his wicked sense of humor.
A remembrance service will be planned in the future. Memorial contributions may be made in John's memory to the Madison Symphony Orchestra at www.madisonsymphony.org.
Memories and Condolences
for John Straughn
3 Entries
Kathryn Kleckner
February 20, 2025
John Straughn worked with my husband. He called him "Mr. Wizard" because John was such a genius in chemistry and physics. He had "the nose of a dog" when it came to identifying chemicals abandoned research labs and John was instrumental in keeping the researchers he served safe. The lab folks really appreciated him even more than the P.I.s
I hope there will be a remembrance event for him this year.
Robert Grieshaber
October 7, 2024
A colleague and friend. I learned a lot from you over the years, and that knowledge is passed on to those I encounter at the university.
Pete Reinhardt
September 15, 2024
I hired John to work at the UW Safety department. He was a brilliant chemist and I learned a lot when working with him. He was always productive and willing to help others in any way. After I left UW for UNC and Yale, I´d ask him technical chemistry questions because I could find no one with John´s depth of knowledge and ability to explain complex things. Sometimes he´d spend days researching thorough answers for me. He was such a wonderful person and I am lucky to have known him. May he rest in peace.
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