Richard Mendenhall Condie, 82, passed away at home on October 21, 2008 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was born August 31, 1926 in Boston Massachusetts to Richard P. and Blanche Mendenhall Condie, both of Springville, Utah.
Richard grew up in Salt Lake City attending Lowell Grade School, Bryant Jr. High, and East High School. Upon graduation he joined the Marine Corp and served with honor in WWII in Okinawa and the occupation of Nagasaki, Japan. Upon his return from the South Pacific, he met and married Elaine Margaret McCafferty from Ephraim, Utah.
After the war he attended the University of Utah and Utah State University, and did graduate studies at the University of Minnesota under the late Dr. Robert A.Good. He spent his academic career in research and teaching at the University of Minnesota, the McArdle Cancer Institute, the University of Wisconsin, Roosevelt Hospital and Columbia University in New York City. He was a contributing author of scientific text books and published over 100 articles in scientific journals. A leading authority in the fields of Immunology and Toxonology, he played a major role in the success of the organ transplant program at the U of MN by developing and directing the ALG Program. He was a guest speaker at many top research institutions around the world. He invented and patented several protein isolation methods. He was a founding member of the International Society on Toxonology and Toxicon. He worked with the Department of Defense in developing antitoxins to protect military personnel against ricin and botulism neurotoxins.
Richard had an unusual curiosity at a young age. During his teen years he spent a summer on an old fashioned fishing troller in Nantucket. At the age of 16 he worked at the Banff Springs Hotel in Edmonton Canada as a bellman. He developed a passion for fly fishing, which he generously shared with his two sons on many Western streams and rivers.
He is survived by wife, Elaine; children, Kimberly (John) Tursick, John Thomas (Ronda), Margaret Swanson, Ann Humphrey and Lisa Cowan; siblings, Robert A. (Chris), Joan Stewart (Charles), Jeanette Pearson (Keith) and Douglas G. (Pam); and 9 grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents and his son Kirk R. Condie.
Funeral Service Wednesday 12 PM at Lakewood Cemetery Chapel, 3600 Hennepin Avenue. Interment with full military honors along side his loving son, Kirk at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, MN. In lieu of flowers, memorials freferred to The Alheimer’s Association or Donors Choice.
