I've been out of touch with Bjorn since he left PSU (where we overlapped for only a brief time).  I remember him as a wonderful, kind, intelligent and passionate scientist. He was a genuine person -- the kind of person who you could tell was interested in what you were saying and had something insightful to say in response. And in searching about the lastest news of him...I found this.  For everyone who knew him better than I did, I can only imagine how much you must miss him.  I am sorry for your loss. Auf widersehen, Bjorn.

- T. L. Clare

I knew Björn for almost 40 years, even though we didn’t meet the last 10 or more years. During our time in the Tennisclub Pliezhausen we played in the same team, played Skat, drank beers, partied and went on weekends trips together with the other teens to the Austrian alps. We went for hiking, playing all kinds of games with all the kids, and surely had lots of fun together. I was a couple of years older than Björn and he tested his limits with me sometimes. A learning process for him and me as well ( if he read that, he would immediately know what I am talking about...). Björn was always positive, somebody to have fun with, a very smart and mature guy, but he maintained his Charme  of a “ Lausbub” his whole life, I guess. I simply can’t believe that he left us so early! I wish his families and good friends in Germany and the US a lot of strength and good faith for the coming weeks and months. RIP Björn.
Jochen

For Jean and Seipel Family,
How much fun it has been for me to discover German culture and for Bjoern to discover Italian culture in the innumerable lunches we shared when working together at the University of Tuebingen.
I still remember when Bjoern came to visit me in Naples and ended up, without knowing it, in one of the most dangerous neighbourhood where I thought he would  be mugged and instead he wandered at the local market amazed at the variety of live fish they were selling. 
I will always remember him with a smile.


My friend Björn, part 2
Even if these countless common highlights became much rarer in the years after his “emigration” to the USA end of 2004 - when we met they were as intense as ever, the deep bond arose immediately.

The reunions were the kind you can only have with a friend who you have known since your youth and who is one of the few really good friends you have in life - and that was Björn for me.

Björn had been looking for the right partner for a long time. I was very glad to see that he had finally found it a few years ago with Jean. He was very happy and I knew I didn't have to worry anymore!

Björn was very bright, a person with an incredible number of interests - and a doer. Be it at work, as a vegetable grower, beer brewer, winemaker or much more. He put his projects into practice with a lot of enthusiasm and determination. He could be determined and wouldn't let himself be danced on, but he was very fair, polite and helpful to everyone and was always there for his friends and family. Just a classy character! Björn was always positive, the glass is half-full and not half-empty and when it is empty there is another one.
As his friend, I could rely on him 100%. He was a good listener and an inspiring advisor and honest - even if I sometimes would have preferred to hear something different - but that is exactly what makes a good friend!

Björn, what a great guy you were! It makes infinitely sad 

So long, Björnski Atomic-Ski, Evel Knievel, Excellent und Anyway.

My friend Björn, part 1

Even after more than a month I still can't believe it - my friend Björn passed away!
The head still refuses to accept that I won't see my friend again. The next joint meeting and the next joint vacation were arranged and such a fate was so far away that it did not even appear on the horizon.

I have known Björn for over 30 years. He was not yet 18 when I met him at the Pliezhausen tennis club. He was a talented player, always in a good mood, clever, funny and with full commitment, ambition and even more fun playing tennis.
I was able to keep him under control at tennis for a few years thanks to my age advantage, but at some point he overtook me. You don't like to allow something like that, but I wasn't really sad about it - because Björn meanwhile had become my friend!

We spent countless hours together over the next years. Whether during the day, playing tennis, cycling, skiing, mini golf, collecting mushrooms and talking shop or at night, playing skat , philosophizing about life and the universe, in the disco or while partying.
Not to forget the many vacations with cycling, snorkeling, fishing, harpooning, wrecking rental cars , drinking wine, beer and pomada.

That all mad me close with my friend Björn. And with all of that, we always had incredible fun together. Björn always had an idea, always had a plan, always had a saying, always had advice and always had a solution.


Part one of three from Michelle & Job:
Bjoern was more than just a good friend he was an inspiration and role model for a life well lived. He showed us all how to live to the fullest with excitement and passion. His brain was so active and his interests so diverse he had ideas and enthusiasm for ten lifetimes. Ten lifetimes and he only got 49 years. I few paragraphs can hardly do him justice but it’s important to say why his life was valuable, what he meant to us, and why he will be so sorely missed. 

Job and I always described Bjoern as our mad-scientist friend. We saw him transition from physics professor at PSU to silicon cell wizard and overall problem solver for Solar World. His drive for more efficient cells and push to meet production deadlines under ever changing circumstances was remarkable. He was regularly applying for (and awarded) patents for new inventions and innovations. He was at times fully engrossed in finding a ways to sustainably power the world and, with a close friend, sought government grants to take their ideas and designs forward. His scientific mind leapt out of the box and bounds of current convention, as did many of his pursuits in life. 

His love of nature and keen curiosity kept his hands busy in the soil. In his spare time he was planting trees, propagating mushrooms, and tending multiple beehives. He volunteered for Friends of the Trees for a few years and led multiple urban tree planting and forest trail maintenance excursions. He became interested in mushrooms, studied insanely then joined the Mycological Society of America. He took many of us out into the coastal range each fall to hunt mushrooms. We all felt secure in his knowledge and knew we could trust him to keep us away from the dangerous varieties. When he bought a house on a forested piece of land he was really in heaven. 



Part two of three from Michelle and Job: 
He had plans to place mushroom logs all over his land so he could have a steady supply of mushrooms each fall. His love of bees had him soaking up all of the information he could find online, including hours and hours of YouTube videos on bee behavior, beekeeping and building bee boxes. He built and placed boxes all over his property. He mail ordered a few queen bees and soon became rich in liquid gold. (The best honey ever.) Next to the house he built a large greenhouse that kept itself warm in winter by using the heat generated by the compost heap that sat nearby. He had many (according to Alan, not so well constructed) garden boxes that were always full of greens, veggies and strawberries. He gathered roots and leaves from his little forest and distilled them into medicinal potions. He basked in the earth around him. 

Bjoern had a knack for making connections with people. Everyone who knew him remembers his warm smile and twinkling eyes. The first time Job and I met him at a friend’s house he introduced himself, asked questions and really listened. He was polite and genuine, interested and interesting. Job and I were pleased when we saw him again at another gathering. Soon we all became close friends and for years saw each other almost every weekend. He was game for any adventure. We ate at every new restaurant in Portland that excited us. We went on weekend trips to the Oregon coast. We hiked and cycled many miles together. It was me that took that shot of him splayed out under the tree after just 40 miles. We only had five miles left to go but he was more than ready for a beer. I took him on his first sailing trip on the Columbia when I was just learning myself. Sailing came naturally to him and he fell in love with the sport. Some years later he and a friend learned to sail themselves and I can imagine he would have had a boat of his own at some point in his life.



Part three of three from Michelle & Job: 
For years we went vicariously along the bumpy road of Bjoern’s dating adventures. Then he finally met the love of his life. We still remember when he showed us Jean’s profile picture from a dating app. He was about to go on his first date with her and was brimming with excitement and nervous energy. They cliqued very well and he was soon making penguin shaped egg appetizers to please her and her two sons. He was eager to jump in as a step-dad and really worked hard to make a family out of the four of them. Suddenly he was spending weekends taking Sherap and Yeshe to soccer practice and martial arts competitions. He was often the homework helper and the meal maker. He supported Jean as she built her career and told us recently how proud he was of her success and accomplishments. With Jean and the boys he found a new purpose in life and was very genuinely happy. 

It’s worth repeating again. Bjoern was very genuinely happy. He lived his life fully. He pursued his dreams and made them a reality. He found pleasure in the smallest wonders of nature and pressed his mind to think forward to help solve the world’s energy problems. He was excited about life and always ready for adventure. He lived well. He soaked in all the goodness of the world. He enjoyed life to the fullest. He loved his family and friends and his little dog Lucky. He meant the world to us and he will always be remembered. 



My condolences to Bjoern’s family in Germany and the US.
Bjoern was a long time friend, a close-by neighbor in Tigard from across the Rhine river. When he was a postdoc at PSU, he would get me into the university sport facilities for some racquetball. He was physically and mentally strong. We were both in our early thirties and as a confidant, he would know my romantic predicament of the day. Bjoern was a good and respectful listener. But an intelligent one: at critical racquetball serves, he could use the sensitive information he was entrusted with to float or whisper a name, just enough to subtly destabilize his opponent and win the game.
After he left academia to pursue a successful career in the semiconductor industry harvesting light with the highest efficiency, he became a high-mileage friend, that is on the bike. I cherish the time spent together crisscrossing the hills between Beaverton, Newberg and Hillsboro, or riding to the coast. He was an active and fun fellow who enjoyed the outdoors and nature, always ready for some adventure. He taught me a couple of things about biking. First the art of flipping the rednecks who drive their trucks too close. When the time came for me to adopt pedal clips (those contraptions that attach the shoes to the pedals), he witnessed bloody falls and gave me precious tips.
I miss his humor and his genuine, open and curious mind. Maybe the way he led his life is giving some guidance on how to cope with his accidental and untimely passing: having meaningful relationships with many friends, actively pursuing many interests and hobbies, and enjoying life to the fullest. No doubt in a similar situation he would be sad, but soon after he would be back at planting artichokes, harvesting the honey of his bees, inventing or perfecting a semiconductor process, or preparing his next trip. I would like to think that he would want us to do the same. And to watch out for those pedal clips!

Dear Jean and all the Seipels,
I was heartbroken to hear of the passing of Bjoern.  It was my pleasure to have known him.  He was a really good friend and colleague of mine in Tuebingen.  I have many great memories of him e.g. watching VfB games.  I have had a mass said for him here and attached is a picture of a candle from the local church.  May Bjoern rest in peace
Martin O'Connell, Cork, Ireland

My deepest condolences.  I can’t imagine the shock this must be to his family and friends. I will miss our conversations.

RIP Bjoern,
Marvin Talbert

OBITUARY

Bjoern Seipel

2 February, 1972 – 22 February, 2021

Skyline Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home

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