Gunther Siegfried Fonken

Gunther Fonken Obituary Died March 27, 2014 at Rose Arbor Hospice in the arms of his wife, Agnes Hughes. He was born in 1926, in Krefeld, Germany, to Heinrich (Henry) Fonken and Wilhelmine vom Eyser. The family emigrated to the United States in 1929 and settled in North Haledon, New Jersey. He graduated from the North Haledon Memorial School in 1939 and from Hawthorne High School in 1943. In 1946 he received a B.S. (Chemistry) at MIT, and in 1951 a Ph.D. (Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Employed in 1951 as a Research Scientist in the Pharmaceutical Research Division of The Upjohn Company, he began a research management career there in 1960, retiring in 1986 as a vice president of the division. He was an ardent and generous supporter of artistic, educational, social justice, and environmental organizations, as well as an enthusiastic and dedicated amateur cellist and chamber musician. He is survived by his beloved wife Agnes Hughes, son Peter Fonken (Cristin Devine), daughters Martha Fonken Castillo (Edward Castillo) and Emily Fonken (Michael Roberts), stepson Kevin Hughes (Jeanne Weber) and four grandchildren: Zachary and Sarah Castillo, and Jackson and Gabriel Hughes. Also surviving is his brother Gerhard (Gerry) Fonken. Cremation has taken place. A Life Celebration party will be held on the afternoon of June 15, 2014 from 2 to 5pm at the Kalamazoo Art Institute. This date will have been the 12th wedding anniversary of Gunther and Agnes, as well as Fathers' Day. Contributions to the WMU School of Music or the Kalamazoo Nature Center may be made in his honor.