Alexander Rudolph Doberenz

Alexander R. Doberenz, 80, passed away peacefully with his loving family by his side on February 8, 2017 at Compassionate Care Hospice in St. Francis Hospital, Wilmington, DE.

Born in Newark, NJ, Alex was the son of the late Alexander and Marie Doberenz. He was raised in Union, NJ, where he excelled in high school sports, mainly wrestling and swimming. After high school, Alex continued to compete in college wrestling competitions.

Alex received his B.S. in Chemistry from Tusculum College, Tennessee. After graduation, he married his high school sweetheart, Angela Rajoppi, whom he had met at the age of 16. He then traveled to Arizona to study Biochemistry and Nutrition and received his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. During his postdoctoral studies at the University of Arizona, Alex researched and published extensively on the relationship of fluoride and amino acids on bone and skeletal development. Alex received a Research Career Development Award from the National Institute of Health.

While in Arizona, Alex and Angela were blessed with twin baby girls, Annamarie and Judith Lynn. Alex took up scuba diving. He volunteered with the Pima County Sheriff’s Office Underwater Recovery Unit and also volunteered as a scuba instructor at the Tiger Sharks Scuba Diving Club. Alex enjoyed swimming, boating, fishing, and golfing.

After ten years in Arizona, Alex accepted a visiting associate professorship in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Hawaii, with a focus on trace element metabolism in food and nutrition.

His research and teaching career then took Alex and his family to Wisconsin, where he taught as an Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences in the College of Human Biology at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. His interests broadened to include concerns in population growth, family planning, and improvement of human nutrition. At this time he also became more involved in academic administration, taking on the role of Assistant Dean of the College of Human Biology and later Associate Dean of the Colleges (Degree-Granting Programs) at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

After seven years in Wisconsin, Alex joined the University of Delaware as the Dean of the College of Human Resources, where he played a major role both locally and nationally in transforming the function and form of Colleges of Home Economics into their more contemporary mission in land grant schools. He was a member of both the Northeast Regional and the National Steering Committees with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with a focus on new initiatives for home economics. Within the University of Delaware, he fostered growth and development of quality research programs in Human Nutrition, Human Development and Family Studies, and Clothing and Textiles. He was the founding Dean and instrumental in the development of the Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management (HRIM) program, which has grown into one of the premier programs in the country.

During his career, Alex served on numerous boards and councils and traveled in leadership capacities to Panama, to the People’s Republic of China, and to Russia. Within the University of Delaware, he held additional administrative posts including Special Assistant to the President and Interim Vice President for Student Life.

Alex is survived by his loving and caring wife of 59 years, Angela; his daughters Judy Hoke (husband Bryan) and Annamarie Wexler (husband Carl); and his grandchildren Alexandra (Hoke) Schondorfer (husband Brandan), Clarissa Hoke, Alicia Wexler, and Samuel Wexler.  Alex is also survived by his extended family members, especially his sister-in-law, Eileen Vroman, who has always been there to help and support both He and Angela, as well as dear friends Don and Lynn Peters, who for many years have been a local support through the many years of Alex’s illness.

The family would like to extend a special thank-you to Compassionate Care Hospice at St. Francis Hospital, and to his CNA Jennifer West and nurses Janet and Susan and to his healthcare provider Helen Callahan for their loving care and support of Alex and his family.

Family and friends are invited to visit on Monday, February 13, 2017 from 6:00 – 8:00pm at the Doherty Funeral Home, 3200 Limestone Road, Wilmington, DE 19808. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00am on Tuesday, February 14, 2017 at St. Mary of the Assumption Church, 7200 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin, DE. Entombment will follow in All Saints Cemetery

In lieu of flowers, charitable donations in memory of Alex may be made to St. Francis Hospital Compassionate Care Hospice Unit, 701 North Clayton Street, Wilmington, DE 19805; or to University of Delaware - Gifts Processing, Hospitality Business Management, Health Sciences, 83 East Main Street, 3rd Floor, Newark, DE 19716.

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