THOMAS SACHS Obituary

DR. THOMAS D. SACHS WILLISTON - Dr. Thomas D. Sachs of Williston died in the presence of his wife and family on Saturday, Dec. 19, at Fletcher Allen Health Care, following a brief illness. Dr. Sachs was born Jan. 29, 1925, in St Louis, Missouri, the third child of Dr. Ernest Sachs, Sr. and Mary Parmly Koues Sachs. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in 1951 and received a Ph.D in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Innsbruck, Austria in 1960. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in Chemistry at Western Reserve University in Cleveland, he began his thirty-year academic career on the Physics faculty at the University of Vermont in 1962. He pursued teaching and research with great passion and ambition, and he inspired and encouraged numerous students in his research program. His research was at the interface of physics and biomedical engineering and resulted in the development of innovative medical diagnostic instrumentation. Dr. Sachs, subsequently founded and directed the non-profit "Institute for Applied Sciences," where he and others continued exploring and advancing basic research. An avid skier, he was an enthusiastic member of the Over the Hill Club. He also enjoyed singing and participated in several local musical ensembles. He loved his summers in Nova Scotia and will be interred on Church Hill in Sandy Cove in the summer of 2010. Dr. Sachs is survived by his wife Elizabeth Burroughs; sons Zoltan and his wife Debra Sachs of South Burlington and Martin Sachs of California, and his daughters Pia Sachs-Donerkiel and her husband Alan of Colchester and Cara L. Sachs of South Burlington; his grandsons Michael and Justin Sachs and Aric and Joseph Donerkiel; great-grandson Hunter; five step-children; and eleven step-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Dr. Sachs was predeceased by his parents, his brother Ernest Jr., and his sister Mary. No public visiting hours will be held. A funeral service and celebration of his life will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 1 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Essex Junction, 39 Main Street. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one's choice. Arrangements are by John D. Workman, A. W. Rich Funeral Home - Essex Chapel 57 Main Street Essex Junction, VT 05452. The family invites you to share your memories and online condolences by visiting www.awrichfuneralhomes.com.