Lake Bluff Obituary: Donald H. Braendle, 87

The following obituary is courtesy of Wenban Funeral Home.

Donald H. Braendle, 87, a long term resident of Lake Bluff, IL died on May 13, 2015 after a long illness at Westmoreland Nursing Center, Lake Forest, IL. He was born, Nov. 8, 1927 in Flushing, NY.

After graduating from Garden City High School on Long Island, he joined the army and served in the Aleutian Islands. He did undergraduate studies at the Rice Institute in Houston, TX, graduating in 1952. A PhD was obtained from Rutgers in 1957 at their institute of Microbiology followed by a one year Waksman-Merck Fellowship. He came to Abbot Laboratories in 1958 and worked for 33 years doing Microbial Genetic research-especially with filamentous microorganisms and the production of antibiotics. Many years were spent studying the microbe that produced erythromycin. He was a member of several scientific research societies including Sigma Xi, The Society of Microbiology and AAAS. He was a 50+ yr. member of Grace United Methodist Church in Lake Bluff. He enjoyed flying his single engine Piper aircraft, growing dahlias and as a winter pastime, building model sailing ships and airplanes.

Donald is survived by his wife Carolyn (Lynn) Braendle of 58 years and son, Steven of Colorado Springs as well as 3 nieces and 4 nephews. Preceding him in death were two sisters and one brother, Helen Cox, NY, Dorothy Ward, FL and Kenneth Braendle, PA.

Memorial service will be held at Grace United Methodist Church, 244 E Center Ave, Lake Bluff, IL 60044 May 31, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the church.