Jeffrey Deitch, 55, ALS researcher at Drexel University College of Medicine
He was a teacher who could inspire his students with his enthusiasm for the wonders of science.
JEFFREY DEITCH majored in psychology, but eventually became more fascinated by what goes on inside the brain than its emotional reactions.
He was intrigued by the "miracle of this extraordinarily well-oiled machine - our brains," said his son, Caleb Deitch.
This fascination led him to the main thrust of his scientific work, the study of the crippling disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and the search for a cause and cure.
"He found his life's professional path and passion," his son said.
Jeffrey Deitch, a research assistant professor in neurology at Drexel University College of Medicine, where he was able to inspire medical students and residents with his limitless enthusiasm, died April 5 of a brain tumor. He was 55 and lived in Media.
Jeffrey also was involved in the counseling and education of ALS patients, their families and the medical community in general about the disease through the ALS Hope Foundation, which he helped found.
Early on, Jeffrey discovered that he had a knack for teaching. He enjoyed infecting his students "with his enthusiasm for the beauty and wonder of medical science," his son said.
Jeffrey's career path changed when he began working with Dr. Terry Heiman-Patterson, a prominent ALS researcher at Drexel. He began working with her at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, then moved with her to Drexel.
He received his bachelor's degree in psychology from Rutgers University. He earned a doctorate from the University of Virginia, which then had one of the country's only neuroscience programs.
He took a postdoctoral fellowship at the Albany Medical College, then went to the Wadsworth Center laboratories at the New York State Department of Health.
Jeffrey took another two-year postdoctoral fellowship with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.
He then became an assistant professor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in the New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, N.J., before becoming associated with Heiman-Patterson.
Jeffrey grew up in Delaware County and moved his family to Media, where he became treasurer of the borough government and president of Beth Israel Synagogue.
He was a man of many interests. He was an avid guitar player and had a fine singing voice. He was a lover of jazz, classical and folk music. He helped found the Beth Israel Music Appreciation Society at the synagogue.
"He was very much a scientist," his son said. "He was an adult even when he was a kid. He was a sweet man. He really cared about trying to help people."
He loved animals and was especially devoted to his late golden retriever, Huxley (named for author Aldous Huxley).
He was formerly married to Diana Zelman. Besides his son, he is survived by a daughter, Aviva Hoback; his father, Dr. Stanton Deitch; two sisters, Karen Wallet and Julie Tajfel; six grandchildren, and his companion, Lisa Braun. He was predeceased by his mother, the former Estelle Applebaum.
Services: Were Tuesday. Burial was at Har Jehudah Cemetery, Upper Darby.