Obituaries

Bill Smith, a longtime employee and former associate vice chancellor at Washington University in St. Louis, died Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. He was 80.

Richard J. Walter, a professor emeritus and former chair of the Department of History in Arts & Sciences at WashU, died Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, at Mercy Hospital St. Louis. He was 85.

Patty Jo Watson, a professor emerita in anthropology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Arlington, Mass. Watson was one of the world’s leading experts on cave archaeology and agricultural origins.

Anjali Bhorade, MD, an associate professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, died June 12 after battling metastatic breast cancer for nearly three years. She was 51.

Robert “Bob” Hartzell, a Washington University staff member who served in a variety of roles, died Saturday, July 6. He was 62.

Leah Rae Vandiver Czerniewski, a doctoral student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University died after a long illness Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. She was 34.

Ruth Levinsohn Siteman, a graduate and longtime benefactor of Washington University in St. Louis, died peacefully at home in St. Louis, surrounded by her family, Thursday, June 13, 2024. She was 92.

Stan Braude, a professor of practice in biology and in environmental studies in Arts & Sciences, died at home June 1, 2024. Braude was the first curator of the university’s arboretum and a world expert on naked mole-rat ecology, evolution and behavior in the wild.

Elizabeth Colletta, a WashU employee for 31 years, died April 15. She was shot at her St. Louis home in an incident of domestic violence. She was 55. As co-manager of Sponsored Projects Accounting, she helped manage nearly $1 billion in university awards, grants and contracts.

Eduardo Slatopolsky, MD, a pioneering physician-scientist and a professor emeritus of nephrology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, died peacefully April 24 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. He was 89.