Obituaries

Gary Wihl, the Hortense and Tobias Lewin Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Humanities, died July 17 in Clayton, Mo., after battling Parkinson’s disease. He was 72. Wihl served as dean of Arts & Sciences from 2009 to 2012.

Sandra Geary, a teacher of applied music and collaborative pianist in the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences, died June 23 following a short illness. She was 59.

Arthur L. Prensky, MD, a professor emeritus of neurology at WashU Medicine, died June 16 after a short illness. He was 94. Prensky was a world authority in metabolic disorders, headache and neurodevelopment.

Frank A. Podosek, a professor emeritus of earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died June 8 in Florida. He was 83 years old.

John Gleaves, a professor emeritus at the McKelvey School of Engineering, died June 2. He was 79.

James Poag, a professor emeritus and former chair of the Department in Germanic Languages and Literatures in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died May 25. He was 90.

Jeremy Goldbach, a nationally recognized scholar on LGBTQ+ mental health and the inaugural Masters & Johnson Distinguished Professor in Sexual Health and Education at the Brown School, died Saturday, June 7, 2025, of cancer. He was 42.

Brad Warner, MD, a beloved pediatric surgeon and researcher at Washington University School of Medicine who specialized in gastrointestinal surgery in children, died at his home Friday, April 4, 2025. He was 66.

Julian Fleischman, an associate professor emeritus of molecular microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine, died Jan. 18 at his home in Sharon, Mass., from complications following a fall. He was 91.

William D. Owens, MD, a highly regarded professor emeritus of anesthesiology and former head of the Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine, died of cancer Jan. 3.