Eberhard Albrecht (Opa) Meinecke, 81, of Akron passed away May 23rd, 2015 at his home.
He was born in Braunschweig, Germany, June 7, 1933. After receiving a Ph.D. in engineering from the Braunschweig Technical University in 1960, he received a NATO Fellowship to come to the U.S. at The University of Wisconsin. He became a faculty member at the Polymer Research Institute at The University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1961. He was named Professor of Polymer Science at The University of Akron in 1962 where he taught for 31 years.
As a pioneer in the application of Rheology and the mechanical behavior of plastics and rubber, he supervised more than 100 Doctoral students with whom he kept close friendships throughout his life. In addition to being an avid supporter of the arts, his passions included model trains, bicycling, and world travel.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Elender Meinecke; children, Louisa (David) Meinecke Margolis, Curt (Firoozeh) Meinecke; grandchildren, Katrina, Tess, Arman, and John
Many thanks for the excellent care by Mark Vanderark, Lisa McAvinew, Tenisha and Melody.
Prosit to our Gentle German Giant.
A celebration of his life will be held at 2p.m., June 7th, 2015 at his home. Friends are welcome. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Salvation Army or Doctors without Borders.
(Billow FAIRLAWN Chapel)