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Nils Fernelius Obituary
STATE COLLEGE, PA - Nils C. Fernelius
November 10, 1934 - March 3, 2024
Nils C. Fernelius, 89, passed away on March 3, 2024, at Juniper Village at Brookline in State College PA.
Nils was born on November 10, 1934, in Columbus OH, the son of W. Conard and Naomi (Baker) Fernelius.
He is survived by his sister Sigrid Byers of State College, niece Debbie Hefferle (Brian) of Denville NJ, niece Karin Byers (Bob Mowry) of Cranberry Township PA and nephew Eric Byers (Ida Pappas) of Hopkinton MA. He is also survived by grandnieces and grandnephew Lauren Carlson, Matthew Hefferle, Kristina Hefferle, Alyson Hefferle, Sarah Mowry, Katie Mowry, Bronwyn Pappas- Byers, and Linnea Pappas-Byers.
Nils graduated from State College Area High School, got his BA from Harvard University, his MS and PhD from the University of Illinois - all in Physics (nonlinear optics).
He last worked at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH, as a National Research Council Senior Fellow. He was a member of American Physical Society, Optical Society of America, Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), Materials Research Society, Society for Applied Spectroscopy, Sigma Xi and the American Association of Physics Teachers. Nils was the chair of the Solid State Laser Committee of Lasers and Electro-Optics Society from 2002 to 2005 and was the recipient of the George Rappaport Award from the Society for Applied Spectroscopy in 1995.
He liked to travel and had visited all 50 states, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Scotland, France, Italy, Russia, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. Other interests included stamps, genealogy, local history and classical music. He also enjoyed watching football games and wrestling. Nils was a loving brother and uncle. He is remembered by his family for his kindness and generosity. There will be a private service with the family. Contributions may be made in memory of Nils Fernelius to the Miami County Historical & Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 808, Piqua OH 45356-0808.
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