Max Laverne Lake
- Published: March 27, 2025
Max Laverne Lake, of Yellow Springs, passed away peacefully at Kettering Health Main Campus on March 12, 2025, after a brief illness, at the age of 77. Born in Watonga, Oklahoma, on April 29, 1947, Max relocated to Ohio in the 1970s as a research physicist and an entrepreneur. Max was known for his gentle humor, his love of science and his devotion to his family.
Max grew up on a farm in rural Oklahoma. As a child, Max and all five of his brothers contracted polio. Max and his brothers Clarence, Don and Gary received treatment at the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation in Warm Springs, Georgia, through the generosity of the March of Dimes. Clarence and Max were the most severely affected by the disease, and Max was left partially paralyzed, but he never let it slow him down in the pursuit of his dreams.
Max married the love of his life, Inge, in February 1976. They settled in 1980 on a farm outside Yellow Springs, where they raised their four children: Stephanie, Caroline, Max and Patrick. A farmer at heart, Max greatly enjoyed riding horses, driving his tractor and sharing his love of nature with his children and grandchildren. He especially enjoyed teaching all his grandchildren to drive the golf cart.
A graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a master’s degree in physics, Max became an influential inventor in the field of carbon nanofibers (CNF). In March 1985, he founded Applied Sciences, Inc. (ASI), which was started at the Yellow Springs Business Incubator located in the Fels Building on the Antioch College campus. His success led to the expansion of the business in Cedarville and the subsequent founding of Pyrograph Products, Inc. (PPI) at the site of the old Morris Bean plant across the street from ASI. Both businesses have since closed, but his work lives on and led to 20 patents involving CNF, including vapor-grown carbon fiber (VGCF), chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond films, and various composites based on these materials.
Max is survived by his wife, Inge Lake; his sons, Max and Patrick Lake, of Yellow Springs; his daughters, Caroline (Dan) Gentry and Stephanie Triplett; his grandchildren, Katie, Noah, Rebecca, Henry, Ellie and Lionel; his brothers Don and Gary Lake, of Oklahoma; and numerous nephews, nieces, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Delbert and Agnes Lake; brothers Bill, Clarence and Harry Lake; and his son-in-law David Triplett.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the March of Dimes in Max’s memory. Condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home at schlientzandmoore.com.
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