Philip Lemkau
- Published: April 16, 2026
Beloved retired physics teacher Philip John Lemkau died with family at his side on Feb. 3, 2026. He was 78 years old and had suffered from progressive dementia. At the time of his death, he was living in a continuing care community in Solomons, Maryland, in the company of his sisters and dog.
Phil was born April 16, 1947, in Baltimore, the fourth of five children. He grew up in Ruxton, Maryland, in a family oriented to service, science and community. His father, Paul Lemkau, was a renowned public health psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins University, and his mother, Ruth Roehm Lemkau, worked as a social worker with special needs adults. As the only son, Phil had the full advantage of his father’s tutelage in tools, carpentry and sailing, interests that lasted throughout his life.
Phil graduated from Johns Hopkins University as a liberal arts, pre-med major. He married his high school sweetheart Jeanne in his senior year. After graduation he worked as a laborer in the foundry of Bethlehem Steel Company. He also conducted research at Hopkins on bat and box turtle navigation. He and his wife joined the Peace Corps in 1970 and served for two years on the island of Ometepe in Nicaragua. Without potable water, infectious disease and death in childhood were common, Phil’s work with community teams to install potable water systems was instrumental in improving health on the island.
Back in the United States, Phil earned his teaching certificate and master’s degree in zoology at the University of Rhode Island, studying the role of electromagnetic fields in sea turtle navigation.
Prior to settling in Yellow Springs, Phil lived in various places. In Gainesville, Florida, he worked as a laboratory assistant in the university pesticide laboratory while using his carpentry skills to convert an old church into a house while living in it. In Auburn, Alabama, he worked construction. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, he taught industrial arts. Wherever Phil lived, he found ways to use his considerable fix-it skills.
In 1980, Phil and Jeanne moved to Yellow Springs, where their daughter, Karin, was born in 1982. Phil taught shop classes before they disappeared and then middle school science for several years, prior to teaching physics and industrial technology at Yellow Springs High School for 25 years. His career accomplishments included recognition as an outstanding teacher in the Miami Valley, by The Dayton Engineering and Science Hall of Fame, and regional and national recognition for TEAMS (Test of Engineering Math and Science) competitions for which he coached YSHS students. Phil loved teaching, took pride in the accomplishments of his students, and was recognized by many students for his outstanding teaching and gentle guidance.
Phil retired from YSHS after 30 years, and following a divorce, moved to Maryland to be closer to his sisters. His last years included frequent walks on the beach with his dog, Alvin, projects around the house, an afternoon glass of wine with his sisters, and frequent visits from his daughter.
His family, friends and former students will remember Phil for his kindness, his love of science and his exceptional ability to build things. He leaves behind his daughter, Karin (who followed in his footsteps and teaches chemistry at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington) and her husband Camilo; his four sisters, Ann, Mary, Libby and Carolyn; former wife, Jeanne; an extended family; and treasured friends in Yellow Springs.
A small memorial service will be held at the annual Lemkau reunion this summer. Donations in Phil’s name can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or The Union of Concerned Scientists. To fly a kite in his honor when the winds are right would also be fitting.
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Mr. Lemkau was my shop teacher. I remember him as a kind and caring educator. He helped us make a wrestling ring for our “Pro Wrestling” fundraiser…complete with ring ropes. A good man. Rest in peace.