Raphael Aronson

Raphael Aronson, 89, beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother, died at home on Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018. Ray was born and grew up in Minneapolis, where his parents, David Aronson and Bertha (Friedman) Aronson, were the widely renowned rabbi and rebbetzin at Beth El Synagogue in St. Louis Park. After graduating from the University of Minnesota, Ray earned his Ph.D. in physics at Harvard in 1951.

Ray had a distinguished career in theoretical physics. After a period of time as a Senior Scientist at the Nuclear Development Association in White Plains, NY, he and his colleagues founded TRG, Inc., which did basic research work for the federal government. After a few years, TRG was acquired by supercomputer giant Control Data Corporation. After the buyout, Ray became a physics professor on the faculty of the Nuclear Engineering Department at NYU’s former University Heights (Bronx) campus. In 1973 the entire School of Engineering decamped to Brooklyn Polytechnic University, which was renamed the Polytechnic Institute of New York. During his working years, Ray was called to consult at Oak Ridge and Los Alamos, and he spent time working with physicists in Ljubljana, Slovenia and Oxford, England. Ray retired in 1993, having become a household name in physics circles with numerous publications involving particle scattering theory and Monte Carlo calculations. He continued his work in retirement, and most recently he and his partners patented an innovative imaging method.

In addition to being intellectually enriching, Ray’s stint at TRG provided him with his first wife and the mother of his children, Shirley (Sami) Aronson, whom he met when he interviewed her for a job and married in 1958. They were longtime members of Temple Israel of Great Neck. The marriage ended in divorce.

In 1990, he married Norma Fowler Harvey. They settled in West Orange, New Jersey in 1991, where they lived for 25 years, and have lived in South Orange since 2016. Norma and Ray cherished their time travelling around the world together as well as spending time with their families. Ray was an avid traveler; he was proud to have visited all seven continents and all 50 U.S. states and capitals. Throughout his career and in retirement, he loved keeping up to date with physicists he worked with all over the world. He was an avid hiker, sailor, chess player, and reader of the New York Times, as well as an accomplished solver of all kinds of puzzles.

Ray leaves behind his wife, Norma; his children, Lisa and Bob Maher and Dan and Heidi Aronson, and their mother, Shirley (Sami) Aronson; and his grandchildren David and Alex Maher, and Rachel and Quin Aronson. Ray is also survived by Norma's children, Meg Harvey, Jonathan Harvey, Jennifer Olivetti, and Roger Harvey; and his brother, Hillel; Hillel’s wife, Sue, and his children Naomi, Debbi, Teri, Judie, and Jacqueline.

Contributions in Ray’s memory may be made to Congregation Beth El in South Orange, New Jersey, or the University of Minnesota Foundation.

Ray is fondly remembered by the community of Congregation Beth El as student of the Talmud, a mainstay of the Morning Minyan and a constant presence at Shabbat and holiday services.