Dr. Frank Theodore Orthoefer

Frank held a Ph.D. in Food Science from Michigan State University, an M.B.A. from the University of Illinois, and a B.S. and M.S. from The Ohio State University. He published countless papers in scientific journals and wrote numerous chapters of textbooks. He also wrote 4 books currently used as reference texts. He held multiple patents across the spectrum of food science. He received the Distinguished Fellow Award from the American Oil Chemist Society and was an active member of both the American Oil Chemist Society and the Institute of Food Technologists for over 50 years. He worked at many companies including A.E. Staley, RJR Nabisco, Riceland Foods, Monsanto, and Dow AgroSciences LLC, and subsequently spent several years as a consultant across the industry. A treasured accomplishment of his was partnering with Paul Binford at Emulate, a company which explored the benefits of emu oil.

Frank met his future wife, Linda, a student in Pharmacy, in 1963 over coffee in the basement of the Pharmacy building at The Ohio State University. They married in 1965 and spent 57 years building a life together. They raised two children, and while the family resided in several states, the majority was spent in Decatur, Illinois, where lifelong friends remain. They traveled extensively and ultimately lived in 9 different states, the last twenty years of which were spent in Tennessee.

Frank is preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Frances Orthoefer, his brothers, John and Carl Orthoefer, and his sister, Rita Scott. He is survived by his wife, Linda Orthoefer, brother, Joe Orthoefer, sisters Mary Ann (Donall) Streets and Charlotte (Ken) Mills, children, Dr. Carl (Kate) Orthoefer, Dr. Julie (Dr. Neil) Brown, and grandchildren, Charlotte, Grahame, Olivia, and John Carl.

Frank’s passion was woodworking. He was a craftsman of the highest order and built furniture that will be passed down through generations. In addition, he was a fluent conversationalist on literally any topic, enjoyed reading, fishing, sports, and could fix essentially anything. He also possessed a wonderfully dry sense of humor. His love for his grandchildren was obvious and he had a quiet kindness that everyone should imitate.

Thank you to the medical team at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center and the Covenant Hospice RN’s and CNA’s. And heartfelt gratitude goes to his caregivers, Catherine, Racheal, and Chris.

Services will be held at Berry Highland Memorial in Knoxville, Tennessee on January 14, 2023. The reception will be at noon with a memorial service following at 1 pm. Any questions, call 1-865-588-0567 or visit BerryHighlandMemorial.com. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Lewy Body Dementia Association at lbda.org (1-800-539-9767) or to the charity of your choice.

“Till we meet again, Babe. Oh, how I will miss you. Love ya.” Linda

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.berryhighlandmemorial.com for the Orthoefer family.