December 16, 1948 – July 27, 2025
Following the sudden onset of an acute illness, Frederick Henry Kreisler “Fritz” Rambow passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, on July 27th, 2025. He was 76 years old. In many ways, Fritz embodied the noblest realizations of the American dream. Raised by a single mother, he grew up in rural Missouri, and for several years they lived without indoor plumbing or central heating. From an early age, he had a passion for science and technology, and by late adolescence, he had built his own shortwave radios and was a ham radio operator. For entertainment, he provided his mother and himself with their first television set by repairing a broken TV he had purchased for $5.00.
Fritz attended Central Missouri State College (now the University of Central Missouri) with his high school sweetheart, Marilyn, whom he married before graduating (cum laude) with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics. He then earned a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Missouri at Rolla (now Missouri University of Science and Technology). His doctoral research focused on atomic and molecular physics with special emphasis on spin-transfer phenomena. As an incoming student with a new professor, he had to build all of his laboratory equipment. During the last few years of his doctoral studies, he served as president of the Graduate Student Association.
In 1976 Fritz moved with Marilyn to Houston, TX, where he conducted post-doctoral research at Rice University. There, his work, which was funded by the Department of Energy and included a project at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, focused on energy transfer processes in dense, rare gas plasmas. Anticipating the arrival of his first child, Fritz took a position as a research physicist at Shell Oil Company’s Bellaire Research Center, where he worked for 32 years. During his long tenure at Shell, he was awarded 10 patents on which he is credited as the sole inventor and another 34 patents on which he is listed as a co-inventor. But perhaps his greatest professional achievement occurred in the mid-1990s, when his interpretation of borehole data led to, reluctantly and at great expense, the shutting down of a deepwater offshore well. Later analysis showed that had the drilling continued, a blowout almost certainly would have occurred, resulting in environmental devastation and loss of life.
Most importantly, Fritz was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. During their 54 years of marriage, he and Marilyn traveled the world–living for a year in the Netherlands (where Fritz worked at Shell’s research center in Rijswijk) and visiting China, Argentina, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, Australia, and New Zealand, among numerous other places. Fritz’s favorite trip was to Easter Island. Unmatched in steadfast dependability, resourcefulness, and generosity, he will be deeply missed. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn, their two sons, George and Olen, their sons’ wives, Emily and Cathy, and four grandchildren.
Flowers can be ordered from Cutting Garden: (713) 465-9145
Memorial service is at Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church on Saturday, August 30th at 2 p.m. You can also join the live service by visiting this link: https://emersonhouston.org/frambow/
