Douglas Ewald

Douglas Arno Ewald died on June 3rd, 2020. He was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan on April 18, 1945.  His father, Arno Wilfred Ewald, was a faculty member at Northwestern University.  When Doug was six years old the family moved from Evanston to Wilmette, Illinois.  He graduated from New Trier High School in 1963 and then attended Yale University, where he received his Bachelor’s of Science in 1967 with an emphasis on biophysics.  He began graduate study at the University of California, Berkeley, where he received a PhD in neuroscience in 1974.   As a researcher and teacher, he lived and worked in Oregon, Chicago, Los Angeles, Colorado and Boston. His doctoral and postdoctoral research involved ground-breaking experiments in neuroscience, developing and using techniques which allow measurements of activity at the level of individual neurons. He published his research in journals such as Science and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

Doug greatly enjoyed his community and educational experiences at Yale and UC Berkeley. While living in Berkeley, he was a principal tester of recipes that his then wife, Ellen, was developing for the books, Diet for a Small Planet and Recipes for a Small Planet.

The birth of his son, Logan, in 1990 caused Doug to refocus his life.  He and Claire Rowe were dedicated parents first in Fort Collins, Colorado and then in Naperville, Illinois.  In 2013 Doug moved to Champaign/Urbana to live near Logan, who was earning his Master’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois. 

He is preceded in death by his father, Arno, and his mother, Sara Jeanne.  He is survived by his son Logan (Ouli), brothers Norman (Susan), Paul (Holly), and Steven (Karen), three nieces, four nephews, two grand nieces, and a grand nephew. 

There are no services scheduled at this time.

The family has entrusted Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Champaign, Illinois, 710 N Neil St Champaign, Illinois 61820 with his arrangements.

Please join his family in sharing memories, photos and videos on his tribute wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.