John Neter

Dr. John Neter passed away on Tuesday December 6, 2022, in Chapel Hill, NC at the age of 99.

John is survived by his beloved wife of 71 years, Dorothy, his sons Ron and David, their wives Mona and Ann, his granddaughters Jordan, Chloe, and Celia, and his great-grandson Eli.

Born in Mannheim, Germany, John lost his mother, Marie, at the age of eight. His father, Julius, had the foresight in 1935 to bring John to the United States to flee Nazi persecution. John’s memoir, My Father’s Greatest Gift: Freedom refers to this fateful decision.

In Buffalo, New York, John was an active member of the Boy Scouts, where he made lifelong friends. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and credits scouting for his lifelong love of nature.

During World War II, he served our country in the Army stationed in Italy. It was courtesy of the GI Bill that he was able to have the superb college education that culminated with a doctorate from Columbia University.

John met the love of his life, Dorothy Rachman, on a blind date arranged by his older brother, Erwin and her younger sister, Rhoda. From that instant they were inseparable.

John’s prestigious academic career included posts at Syracuse University, the University of Minnesota, and was capped by a distinguished professorship at the University of Georgia School of Business in Athens, Georgia. He was a prolific author of textbooks in his field of applied statistics.

In addition to his academic career, John had many passions, many of which complemented each other:  photography, hiking, and nature;  classical music, symphony, opera, theater, and art;  travelling the world with Dorothy and fine food.  And he was exceptionally devoted to his family near and far.

In 2006, John and Dorothy relocated to the Cedars of Chapel Hill Retirement Community where they enjoyed retired life and made many close new friends. John was a very active retiree serving on many committees including finance and long-range planning.

John was admired by all who knew him for his wisdom, kindness, and the many contributions to his community.

John’s family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to ­­­­­https://curealz.org/giving/donate/  in honor of his love and devotion to Dorothy.

A funeral service will be held at 10 am Monday, December 12, 2022, at Judea Reform Congregation located at 1933 West Cornwallis Road, Durham, NC 27705

For those unable to attend, the service will be livestreamed via the following link:

https://www.judeareform.org/livestream.html