Birth date: Oct 14, 1964 Death date: Dec 29, 2019
Dr. Christopher Kemp Sommerfield, age 55 of Lewes, DE, passed away on Sunday, December 29, 2019. He was born on October 14, 1964 in Bryn Mawr, PA, son of Beverly (DeCurtis) and the late Earle (Kip) Sommerfield. Dr. Chris Sommerfi Read Obituary
I was a member of the PhD dissertation committee for Chris when he was finishing his research at SUNY Stony Brook. He was a brilliant scientist and I valued his comments on my research on the California continental shelf. He will be missed by me and by the oceanography community. Rest In Peace Chris, but please send us messages on how to do better research and take better care of the Earth.
Dave Drake
A test. I would like to send a family folder of correspondences to the Sommerfield family members. Would an address be available of them in your files?
Thank you
Roger Rumenik
[email protected]
850 445-6665 c
My wonderful nephew. I will love and think about you always.
Love forever,
Auntie Sue xo
Chris and Beth instantly became life long friends after meeting on the beach with our dogs and Chris recognizing a colleague who was with us. After a party that night we shared many dinners at local restaurants and at each other’s houses. My husband and I are both musicians, but we always found so much to share. His smile and genuine good hearted ness will be sorely missed. For Beth, Davis, Richard, and Jack I hope good memories will sustain you at this time. Thinking of you always.
Sylvia Ahramjian
I'm incredibly saddened to lose Chris as a cherished mentor. Even though I was not his student, he was always friendly and supportive, lending his time and attention freely to my scientific or personal questions. Even when I made mistakes on the field with his equipment, he was generous and patient, and always made way for a learning experience. His curiosity went beyond science -- it always went to people. It was always fun talking about Korea and my future career aspirations with him. When I was struggling with the culture of academia he sat down and offered valuable advice that I still ground myself on in my daily grind. He sent me the photo of beach groundwater when he saw it taking a walk and his scientific joy was such an inspiration. This photo is still often used in my presentations and talks. I hope his scientific legacy lives long. The other photo is one of many moments when he taught me how to do something in lab. Rest easy Chris, we all miss you here already but we will remember you.
Our family was shaken by this news! Everytime we saw Chris, he was always gentle and kind! My heart breaks for his beautiful sons, strong wife, and the rest of the grieving family. May God bring you peace.
My deepest condolences to Beth, Davis, Richard and Jack. We shared wonderful family get togethers in our neighborhood, The Nesbit Station, including dinners together, beaching it for the day, St Judes, our local church, and Chris taking time out of his very demanding schedule to come to our pool and share with the neighborhood boys his scuba skills with all of his gear. So blessed to have this family in our lives. He will truly be missed by all.
The world has truly lost a great scientist teacher, father and friend. I have so many fond memories of not only interacting with Chris as a scientist, but also chatting with him about life, scuba diving, our dogs, and his sons. I could always count on him for an interesting chat over beers at happy hours. I'm saddened that we never had the opportunity to go on the many dive trips with Richard and other colleagues we always said we should do. He once shared a photo of this sand tiger shark he took while scuba diving in NC with me, which I went on to use multiple times in presentations and publications. I'm thankful for his kindness and his mentorship. Rest easy.
