Ulrich, Eldon L.
Eldon Lloyd Ulrich, age 73, passed away on June 28, 2025 from pancreatic cancer surrounded by his wife and daughters. Eldon will be remembered as a beloved husband, a wonderful and proud father, a fun and caring uncle, a loyal friend, a respected scientist, and a dedicated outdoor education volunteer.
Born in Wenatchee, WA to Mahlon and Dorothy (Carlson) Ulrich, Eldon was raised amidst apple orchards and nearby mountains. He graduated from the University of Puget Sound (Tacoma, WA) with a B.S. in Chemistry. His educational path led him east to West Lafayette, IN where he received his PhD in Biochemistry from Purdue University. It was in this Midwest city where he met his “East Coast girl”, Jean Parente. They married in 1983, and together they settled in Madison, WI and raised their two daughters.
Eldon had the opportunity to do post-doctoral research with John Markley at Purdue and then at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This resulted in a long and fulfilling professional collaboration with the Markley Lab where Eldon advanced his interest in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and its uses in studying protein structures. After a brief time in the pharmaceutical industry at The Upjohn Company (Kalamazoo, MI), Eldon continued his career as a Senior Scientist at UW-Madison and was a co-developer and former Director of the Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank (BMRB) at UW-Madison.
Upon retirement, Eldon began a second career as an Outdoor Education Volunteer. His passion for the outdoors inspired children at Crestwood Elementary School in Madison where he collaborated with school staff to develop an outdoor education curriculum and was a classroom volunteer.
Eldon is survived by his wife Jean; daughters Emily (Wayne Iobst) of Rockville, MD and Melanie (Michael Ghio) of Philadelphia, PA; cousins; nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Cary Ulrich, of Wenatchee, WA.
The family is planning a Celebration of Life for Saturday, September 13, 2025 with a casual gathering between 1 – 4 PM at the Cress Center 6021 University Avenue in Madison, WI. There will be no formal service or program. Please share online condolences and memories at https://www.cressfuneralservice.com/obituaries/eldon-ulrich.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Aldo Leopold Nature Center at https://aldoleopoldnaturecenter.org/ or the UW Health Carbone Cancer Center (Research) at https://www.wiscmedicine.org/cancer.
The family acknowledges the love and support of extended family and friends. In addition, the family is grateful for the support of the UW Health Medical Oncology Team and the exceptional care provided by the UW Hospital staff, especially the Palliative Care Team.
Cress Center
6021 University Ave. Madison
(608) 238-8406