Jude Thomas Sommerfeld

Dr. Jude Thomas Sommerfeld, 86, of Watkinsville, passed away on Friday, April 15, 2022, in the comfort of his home.

Dr. Sommerfeld was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1936 and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated as valedictorian from Assumption High School in 1953, the University of Detroit (BS in Chemical Engineering, summa cum laude) in 1958, and the University of Michigan (MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering) in 1960 and 1963.

After graduation, he became a senior systems engineer at Monsanto in St. Louis for three years before he became director of process engineering at Wyandotte Chemical (now part of BASF Corporation) for four years. He also gained summer co-op and consulting experience over the years with Parke, Davis, Ethyl Corp, CIBA GEIGY, Western Electric, Celanese, Dupont (Savannah River), and Milliken.

Dr. Sommerfeld moved to Atlanta in 1970 to teach chemical engineering as an associate professor at The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). He was promoted to full professor in 1973 and served as associate director of the Chemical Engineering School for eight years. He was also a visiting professor at Loughborough University of Technology (UK) in 1973, University College London (UK) in 1980 and 2002, Universidad de Puerto Rico in 1983, and Universidad de Concepcion (Chile) in 1979 and 1984.

In recognition for his contributions to chemical engineering, Dr. Sommerfeld was elected a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) in 1996, and he was a 50-year member of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Dr. Sommerfeld was a licensed professional engineer in the state of Georgia and served many years developing materials for the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) for both the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) and Professional Engineer (PE) registration exams.

As a member of the American Translators Association, Dr. Sommerfeld translated hundreds of technical articles from Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Spanish, and French into English for International Chemical Engineering (published by the AIChE). He published 150 technical articles with his (primarily undergraduate) research students.

His most recent position was Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering at Georgia Tech. He retired in 2002, and he and his wife traveled extensively. After retirement they lived in Westminster, South Carolina, near Lake Hartwell and then in Watkinsville, Georgia.

Dr. Sommerfeld was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Hilda Sommerfeld of Detroit, Michigan, his sister-in-law Anne Sommerfeld, and brother-in-law John Bingham.

He is survived by his devoted wife of 30 years, Elizabeth; three siblings: Ginny Ferrara (Mike) of Northville, Michigan, David Sommerfeld of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and Fran Bingham of Shelby Township, Michigan; four daughters: Loretta Sommerfeld, Margaret Sommerfeld Raines, Maria Sommerfeld Wendel (Andy), and Joanna Sommerfeld Cloud-Moland (Gary); his wife’s four children: Frank Ryder (April), Cindy Ryder, Adrienne Ryder Conway (Tom), and Heather Ryder Elzey (Shannon). He is also survived by 17 grandchildren: Jessica Raines Murphy (Kyle), Grace Raines Hicks (RJ), Matthew Raines (Meredith), Christina Raines, Stephanie Wendel Miller (Joshua), Drew Wendel (Felicia), Jenna Wendel, Grant Cloud, Darcy Cloud, Carson Cloud, Erika White, Catherine Baker, Hannah Ryder, Sarah Ryder, Danielle Lachappelle, Samantha Lachappelle, and Kathleen Elzey, and four great-grandchildren: Maren Miller, Reese White, Liam White, and Natalie White.

A memorial mass will be celebrated on Monday, April 25, 2022 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 958 Epps Bridge Parkway, Athens, Georgia 30606, at 4:00 pm. The family will receive friends on Sunday evening, April 24 at Lord and Stephens, West, 1211 Jimmy Daniel Road, Watkinsville, Georgia 30677, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. with rosary said from 7-7:30.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or at stjude.org , or to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 1575 Northeast Expressway, Atlanta, GA 30329 or at choa.org .

Lord and Stephens Funeral Home, WEST, Watkinsville, GA, is in charge of arrangements. www.lordandstephens.com