Bernard A. Koechlin
February 24, 2010
ROCKPORT — Bernard Alphons Koechlin, husband of Patricia Baker
Koechlin, died peacefully in Rockport on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010.
Born Sept. 28, 1916 in Basle, Switzerland, son of Rev. Dr. Alphons
and Emilie Koechlin-Thurneysen, he spent his first five years in Stein
on the Rhine, where his father was minister. In 1921, his father was
called to St. Martin's, the oldest church in Basle, and the family moved
to the adjacent, centuries-old church house overlooking the Rhine.
Bernard attended the classics gymnasium in Basle, studying Latin and
ancient Greek, and developing an intense interest in history. He
continued his studies at the University of Basle and in 1943 was awarded
a Ph.D. in chemistry, magna cum laude. He spent two subsequent years in
the Department of Physiology at the University of Bern where he did
research on nerve regeneration. During World War II he served in the
Swiss Army.
In 1946, he came to the United States as a Visiting Investigator in
the Department of Physical Chemistry at Harvard Medical School. He met
his future wife at Harvard and decided to stay in the United States,
accepting a position at Sloan Kettering Institute, followed by two years
in the Department of Biology at MIT where he did research on the
chemistry of nerves. In 1955 he was hired by Hoffmann-La Roche to set up
their laboratory for drug metabolism in Nutley, New Jersey. While at
Roche, he and his family resided in Montclair, N.J., where he was an
active volunteer in civil rights, affordable housing, and services for
the developmentally disabled.
Serving as chairman of the Montclair Fair Housing Committee he was a
witness in a 1967 precedent-setting legal case where for the first time
a victim of housing discrimination was awarded monetary compensation. He
chaired the New Community Foundation, raising seed money for affordable
housing in the Central Ward of Newark after the 1967 riots. He was a
member of the Developmental Disabilities Council of the State of New
Jersey, a board member of the NJ Association for Retarded Citizens and
of New England Village in Pembroke. In 1992, he and his wife retired to
Rockport. He and his family enjoyed many trips abroad, and the family
benefiting greatly from his fluency in several languages and from his
rich cultural background.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by a sister, Ruth
Lindt-Koechlin; by six children: Emily of Takoma Park, Maryland; Patrick
and his wife Julia of Rye; New York, Nicolas and his wife Catherine of
New York City; John of New England Village in Pembroke; Dr. Timothy and
his wife Katherine Joyce of Montclair, N.J.; Carl and his wife Beth Nagy
of Dorchester; by six grandchildren, three step-grandchildren, eight
step-great-grandchildren, and by 15 nieces and nephews. He was
predeceased by a brother, Georg; and by a sister, Dr. Elisabeth
Grossmann-Koechlin.
ARRANGEMENTS: He was a member of First Congregational Church in
Rockport. A memorial service will be held on Monday, March 1, at 11 a.m.
in the First Congregational Church in Rockport. The burial will be
private. Contributions in his memory may be made to New England Village,
664 School St., Pembroke, MA 02359. Funeral arrangements are by the
Burgess and Mackey Funeral Home, 201 Main St., Rockport. Online
condolences may be given at
www.greelyfuneralhome.com.
