Earl William Prohofsky

Earl died of complications from pneumonia following a recent vacation on Sunday, September 22, 2019 (22 Elul) in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. He was 84 years of age.

Funeral Services were held in Sarasota, Florida at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, September 24th at Temple Beth Sholom followed by interment at the congregation’s cemetery.

Earl is survived by his devoted wife, Susan Prohofsky, beloved children Allen (Judy), David Prohofsky (Catherine), Rebecca Lerner (Rick), Joel Prohofsky (Shana), and 11 adoring grandchildren: Aaron, Alyssa, Abigail, Joshua, Daniel & Ben Prohofsky; Liad, Tamar & Idan Lerner and Eli & Leo Prohofsky.

Earl William Prohofsky was born on February 8, 1935 to Arthur and Esther Prohofsky in St. Paul, Minnesota. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in Physics in 1957 and received his Ph.D. in Physics from Cornell University in 1963. It was at Cornell where he met his wife, Susan Kaye Shapiro. They married on June 19, 1960, and have been married 59 years. Dr. Prohofsky was beloved as a Physics Professor, teaching at Purdue University for 48 years. He was honored to be a Fellow of the American Physical Society and Secretary-Treasurer, Division of Biological Physics, Editorial Board of AIP Books in Biological Physics. He proudly published books and many scholarly articles over the years. His research interests included theoretical studies of dynamics of biological macromolecules including the critical melting of the double helix and drug attachment and dissociation. A particular emphasis is on the use of energy in the running of biological enzymatic processes. Following retirement, Earl was named Professor Emeritus at Purdue University, an honor bestowed to those whose tenure and career made a positive difference in their students’ lives and future careers. Earl was very active in his Jewish communities in Indiana and Florida. He was a voracious reader and enjoyed leading book review groups. Earl and Sue moved to Sarasota, Florida, where they have lived for the past six years.

He will be profoundly missed by his family, friends, colleagues and students.

Contributions in Dr. Prohofsky’s memory may be made to Temple Beth Sholom, 1050 S. Tuttle Ave. Sarasota, FL 34237. To make a donation in his memory online go to: TemplebethsholomFL.org or Hadassah.org. https://templebethsholomfl.shulcloud.com/payment.php