Otto Lehn Franke, age 88, of Boulder, Colorado died peacefully at home surrounded by family April 2nd, 2023, from complications of Parkinson's disease and heart failure.
Lehn was born in Baltimore, Maryland, October 13th, 1934, to parents Roberta Felty and Otto Herman Franke. Lehn earned a B.A. in Geology from Haver ford College in 1955, an M.A. in Geology from Johns Hopkins University in 1957, followed by a Doctor of Engineering from the Technische Hochschule Karlsruhe, Germany in 1963.
After completing his education, Lehn had a long and successful career in the New York area as a Ground Water Hydrologist with the United States Geological Sur vey (USGS) Water Resources Division. He also taught at the City University of New York for twenty years in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, retiring in 1991 as Professor Emeritus.
In 1992, he and his wife Johannah moved to Boulder, Colorado, for Lehn to dedicate the remainder of his career to the National Water-Quality Assessment Project (NAWQA), a leading source of scientific data and knowledge for development of science-based policies and management strategies to improve and protect our national water resources. After retirement, he continued to informally consult on water resource issues.
Outside his work life, Lehn was a devoted husband and father who cared deeply about his children and grandchildren, including supporting their educations and careers. He had many hobbies and interests including music which was a lifelong passion, playing cello and recorder and attending classical music concerts. He was involved with the Boulder Shambhala Center, the Drala Mountain Center, Kalapa Ikebana, tutoring middle school math students, and as a Court-appointed special advocate (CASA) with Voices for Children.
Lehn loved the natural world in the Western United States, including the varied and dynamic weather patterns and rock formations. He found great pleasure in photographing the iconic Boulder "Flatirons" rock formation, rock collecting, river rafting, traveling, and hiking.
Later in life, Lehn's pastimes grew to include papermaking, sculpture, Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging), and mosaics.
Lehn is survived by his wife of 58 years Johannah; son Jon; daughter-in-law Nicole; daughter Amy; son-in-law Greg; grandsons Ryan, Alex, Zach, and Sam; niece Beth; nephew Ned; and numerous extended family members in the United States and Germany.