Eric HAHN

HAHN, Eric Walter, PhD Father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, dear friend and respected cancer research scientist, Dr. Eric Walter Hahn died May 9, 2024 at almost 92 years old in Inverness, Florida. He was born in Brooklyn, NY on June 1, 1932 to Erich and Sarah (nee Feustel) Hahn. Raised in Queens, NY, he graduated from Richmond Hill High School in 1950. Following graduation from the University of Geogia, Athens, in 1954, Eric served in the U.S. Army in Germany and France. Returning to New York in 1956, Eric married his church sweetheart from Queens, Janet Krobak, to whom he was happily married for 58 years before her passing in 2014. The newlyweds started their journey at the Univ. of Georgia where Eric returned to pursue his graduate studies. Soon they moved to the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign where Eric earned his PhD in radiation biology. There, their first two children, Eric and Korina, were born in 1958 and 1960. Next, they were off to the University of Rochester where Eric established himself as a scientist, and where, in 1962, they welcomed their youngest child, Charlie. Eric then accepted a teaching position at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. In 1969, the family returned to New York making a new home for themselves in Westbury, Long Island. Eric became a well-published scientist in the field of radiation oncology with his own laboratory at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute. Adventures awaited when, in 1983, Eric and Janet not only built their retirement home in Inverness, Florida, but also relocated to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to serve at King Faisal Research Hospital. Next, they moved to Heidelberg, Germany where Eric became a full professor at Heidelberg University and the German Cancer Research Center. Until well into the 2000s in "retirement," he not only continued in Heidelberg as a visiting professor, but also as a consultant for Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and the Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Detroit, researching and publishing in the field of radiation oncology, making and nurturing many friendships along the way. With his creative and engineering mind and when not working on innovative approaches to treating cancer, Eric enjoyed accomplishing large and small projects around the home and especially refinishing the furniture that he and Janet collected during their many travels. Also important to Eric was the Lutheran Church where he sang in the choir. To the last day of his long life, Eric enjoyed staying in touch with his large family and many friends via social media, doing multiple daily crossword puzzles, and reading thrillers and mysteries. He was lovingly cared for in his Inverness home by his daughter Kory and her husband, Dave. Eric was predeceased by his beloved wife, Janet in 2014, and his dear friend, June Dreger-Parsons in February of 2024. He is survived by his three children, Eric (Jennifer), Korina (David Wilson), and Charlie (Ursula); 10 grandchildren; one great-grandson, and nieces and nephews.