Michael Edward "Mike" Cahill
Mike Cahill, 77, of West Bend, loving husband, father, grandfather, and brother, passed away from complications of pneumonia on July 7, 2020. He is survived by his wife, Ro, his sons Avery and Yeoung, his brother, John, and his grandson, Nicholas. He was a professor of astronomy and physics at the University of Wiscons…read more
Mike Cahill, 77, of West Bend, loving husband, father, grandfather, and brother, passed away from complications of pneumonia on July 7, 2020. He is survived by his wife, Ro, his sons Avery and Yeoung, his brother, John, and his grandson, Nicholas. He was a professor of astronomy and physics at the University of Wisconsin Washington County. Raised in Parkchester in the Bronx, his passion for science manifested itself in such experiments as seeing if he could make the elevator in his apartment building vibrate sufficiently to force an emergency stop. As an adult, he conducted research in General Relativity. After retirement, he devoted his energy to finding new methods to describe the distribution of the Trojan asteroids. He earned a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Illinois-Urbana and a post-doctoral fellowship to Berkeley.
He moved to West Bend with his wife Rotraut in 1974. He loved working with students and teaching. Mike was a strong advocate of equal opportunity for spouses, deciding to move to West Bend because both he and his wife had opportunities at the campus.
Some Mike facts: he managed the often daunting challenges of being bipolar; would go out of his way to seek help for a wounded animal; happily shared amazing fat-free cheesecakes and delicious spaghetti sauce; marched in Viet Nam War protests in Berkeley; worked as a volunteer Dispatcher for the Red Cross; gave numerous sky shows to community groups; delighted in picnics and the annual “guess the gadget” New Year’s Day game with John and Jeannine Becker and in Thanksgiving Day dinners with Richard and Sheryl Smith; enjoyed long talks with his brother John and get-togethers with in-laws Judy and Cialino Rea.
Mike was a fantastic father to his two sons Avery and Yeong and a loving “Opa” and Father-In-Law to Nick and Jennifer respectively. No husband could have been more caring or supportive.
Mike succumbed to recurrent bouts of pneumonia after three terrible months of separation from his loved ones because of COVID. May he have found peace.
Due to the current conditions, a private ceremony will be held at a later date, but please consider leaving a memory here.
Mike loved animals and science. If you are inclined, you can make a donation to your favorite animal or science-related charities
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Mike loved animals and science. If you are inclined, you can make a donation to your favorite animal or science-related charities.
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Steve Metz posted on 10/3/20
I had the honor of Mike as my Physics Professor back in the late 1980's. To this day I can still see his mannerisms and hear his voice while teaching difficult topics to a bunch of aspiring young scientists and engineers. He was unwavering in his presentation and one could tell he cared greatly about the students and the subjects being taught. I was unaware of his personal struggles with bipolar, it never showed through to the classroom. Rest in peace Professor Cahill and know your teachings live on in the works of the MANY scientists who had the honor of being taught by you.