George Strobel

On March 1, 2006, Dr. George Lewis Strobel, age 68, died in Columbia, South Carolina after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.

He was born in 1937 to the late Leonard Lewis and Gladys (Royce) Strobel in Pratt, Kansas. He was raised on a wheat farm and attended a one-room school. He obtained a BS degree from Kansas State University in Nuclear Engineering, a Masters Degree in Nuclear Physics from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Southern California.

He was married to Caroline Davis in 1957. They had two sons, George Lewis II and John Stuart. They have made Athens, Georgia their home since 1967. He enjoyed traveling, and he and his wife visited every continent in the world including Antarctica. He also enjoyed playing bridge, gardening, spending time with family and friends, going to UGA football games, and teaching.

Dr. Strobel had a long career in physics. He taught physics at UGA from 1967 until recently. He had worked at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the summer since 1981. During his career he had also worked at the Los Alamos National Labs, the University of Tubingen, and the German National Laboratory in Julich, Germany. He solved problems in the fields of astro-physics, solid state physics, quantum physics as well as most other areas of theoretical physics, publishing well over 100 articles on his work.

Since 2000, he has also been aiding researchers in mathematically analyzing genes in organisms in order to determine which genes are common to most organisms in order to help identify those that are critical to sustaining life.

He is survived by his wife of almost 49 years, Dr. Caroline Davis Strobel, who is a Professor of Accounting at the University of South Carolina; two children, George L Strobel II of Bradenton, Florida, and Dr. John Stuart Strobel of Bear, Delaware; their respective wives Jamie Golden and Valerie Strobel; and three grandchildren, George III (Trey), John Stuart, and Sarah Elizabeth. He is also survived by his brother, Marion Strobel, of Pratt, Kansas and several aunts and uncles in Kansas. He was preceded in death by his sister, Margaret Olsen.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday March 25, 2006 at 11:00 AM in the Chapel at the University of Georgia. Inurnment and committal services will take place in The Iuka (Kansas) Cemetery on Tuesday, March 7, at 3:00 PM and in the McPherson (Kansas) Cemetery on Wednesday, March 8, at 11:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be sent to the George L Strobel Scholarship Fund at the University of Georgia, in care of Stockham Family Funeral Home, McPherson. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of George Strobel please visit our Sympathy Store.