Duane "Dewey" Owen Muhleman

Dr. Duane (Dewey) Muhleman PHD passed away peacefully in his home in Spokane, WA August 22, 2023 at the respectable age of 92.

Dewey was a Professor Emeritus of Astrophysics at Caltech where he was a renowned researcher, beloved teacher, mentor and friend to countless scientific minds for over 30 years.

Dewey was born to humble beginnings during the Great Depression on March 7, 1931 in Maumee, OH to Fred and Mary Muhleman. He was predeceased by his brothers Roland (Red) and Jerry as well as his wife Velma. He is survived by daughters Nancy Piscitelli of Hayden, ID, Christina Sjoquist (formally Sandra) of Portland, OR and Kathy Tom of Eugene, OR.

In 1953 he received his BS degree in Physics at Toledo State University. He then traveled west to begin his long career working for NASA, first at Edwards AFB at the High Speed Flight Station. After two years he secured a position at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) where he served in many capacities until his retirement in 1997.

After marrying Velma in 1955 and producing daughters Sandra (Christina Sjoquist) and Nancy (Piscitelli) in quick succession, the family, along with Velma’s daughter Kathy (Tom) headed back east to Cambridge, MA. Settling his clan in old Victorian home circa 1865 Dewey obtained his PHD in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Harvard University in 1964.

In the mid 1960’s the Muhleman’s spent a couple of years in Ithaca, NY where Dewey was an Assistant Professor at Cornell. He loved introducing his girls to the beautiful four seasons of Upstate NY while they traveled throughout the east coast frequently. It was very important to Dewey and Velma to introduce their daughters to a vast array of cultural experiences which they wonderfully continued all their lives.

1967 brought the Muhleman’s back to their original home above Eaton Canyon in Altadena, CA and in 1971 they moved to Arcadia. Dewey began his career at Caltech while still working for JPL. In his trademark humble style, he convinced his little daughters that he was the DONUT MAKER at JPL since being an Astrophysist is hard for little ones to comprehend. Sandy and Nancy were quite disappointed that their dad never produced any donuts.

Dewey traveled extensively throughout his career. He was often attending scientific conferences across America as well as Europe and Russia. Dewey conducted research at Owens Valley Radio Observatory, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and more. His love of travel often included Velma who greatly enjoyed learning about all cultures and meeting people all over the world. Family dinners frequently included Caltech students and other professors from far-flung lands.

In 1997 Dewey and Velma moved to the lakeshore of Flathead Lake MT where he finally was able to buy a sailboat and was often found racing his boat with his grandson Chayne in Somers Bay. Life was good in the Flathead Valley. However the harsh winters, the loss of Velma and desire to be near family brought him to Spokane, WA near Nancy’s family in 2015.

He is survived by three daughters, one son-in-law (Mike), six grandchildren and three great-grands. He was laid to rest next to Velma in the shadow of the Swan Range of the Rocky Mts in Bigfork, MT.