Dr. James William Rohrer

He was an organ donor, and his liver and kidneys have already helped to save three lives. Jim Rohrer was born in Kansas City, Missouri on January 14, 1947, to the late Glenn and Vernoy Rhorer. He graduated from the University of Kansas in 1970, with a BA in Zoology. He returned to KU to earn his PhD in Microbiology in 1975. Jim was married twice. He had a daughter with his first wife, the late Dr. Shirley Rohrer in 1979. He and his second wife, Susie Rohrer, were married in 1999. He loved movies, especially Star Wars and was known to sing along to the music of James Taylor. Dr. Rohrer was an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, a position he took in 1979, and held until his death. He was a member of the American Association of Immunologists and served as a reviewer for The Journal of Molecular and Cellular Immunology and The National Science Foundation. In addition to teaching, Jim Rohrer also did research in the medical and pharmaceutical fields earning more than $1 million in research grants from the National Institutes of Health. He was awarded patent number 6.534.060 for a breast cancer vaccine he developed alongside Dr. Adel L. Barsoum and the late Dr. Joseph Coggin in March of 2003.

He is survived by his wife Susie, his daughter Dr. Sally Ravanos and her family (Annie, Aaron, and Demetri) and his stepson Terry Jones and his family (Nate and Shonda).

Funeral services will be held from the chapel of Radney Funeral Home on Friday, October 28, 2011, at 6:30 p.m. The family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. until service time at the funeral home. Following the services, Dr. James Rohrer will be cremated.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Aneurysm and AVM Foundation (taafonline.org) or the Mobile SPCA (mobilespca.org).

Condolences may be offered at www.radneyfuneralhome-mobile.com.