Remembering Jeffery R. Demarest
Biologist, naturalist, world traveler, great cook, and bon vivant Jeffery R. Demarest lived well and encouraged others to do the same.
During his military service in Guam, he developed his keen observations of the natural world, a skill that would become a large part of his professional life and enhance his enjoyment of daily nature walks. The University of California Bodega Marine Laboratory in Sonoma County, Calif., where he completed his Ph.D. and met his wife, Martha Noble, became the perfect setting to collect and observe fish and other marine life while making lifelong friends and colleagues.
Jeff came to Juniata from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and was appointed as a professor in the Biology Department and later served as department chair.
As a naturalist, Jeff was fascinated by the biology, chemistry, and physiology of all things in the kitchen, including beer. During a sabbatical from Juniata, he spent a semester earning a teaching credential in fermentation science from University of California Davis. He took this expertise back to Juniata where he initiated a course in brewery science. Several of his students have become very successful in the craft beer industry.
His outstanding communication skills, insight into many disciplines, and great sense of humor provided excellent links between his teaching, research, and administration work.
As Jeff approached retirement, he and Martha decided to return to Sonoma County, which they both loved. In 2011, they purchased a house in Healdsburg. In their new location close to the Russian River, Jeff would often walk along the river path into the town center. While completing his doctoral work at BML in the 1970s, Jeff began exploring the Sonoma Coast for mushrooms. In retirement, these mushroom foraging walks—primarily in the Salt Point State Park area—became a focused seasonal hobby he enjoyed with close marine lab friends.
His legacy will continue through many he taught and mentored at Juniata, but particularly through good beers produced by alumni, just as he would have wanted.
Jeffery R. Demarest, aged 76, died unexpectedly on Jan. 12, 2022, at his home in Healdsburg, Calif., with his wife of 36 years by his side.
Born on May 10, 1946, in Harrington Park, N.J., he was the son of Pete and Catherine Demarest. He was united in marriage to Martha Noble in 1986.
Jeff is survived by his cherished wife, Martha; his brother, Steve; Martha’s family; numerous friends; and many colleagues.
During the Vietnam War, he served as a military policeman in Guam.
Jeff began his Ph.D. studies in the Department of Physiology at the University of California (UC) Berkeley. His work with salt and water balance in the life history of fish led him to the UC Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML) in Sonoma County, just north of San Francisco, Calif. This was where he met his wife, who was a Stanford graduate student studying fish behavior.
After completing his doctorate, the couple settled first at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and then the University of California, Los Angeles. In the later 1980s, they moved to University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where Jeff was appointed as a professor in the biology department and served as department chair.
Jeff next received an appointment as a professor at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa. Martha remained in Arkansas until she moved to Washington D.C., to focus on agricultural law. The two commuted back and forth on weekends between their Huntingdon country home and their D.C. apartment.
International travel was important to Jeff. Together, he and Martha enjoyed visiting New Zealand and a variety of European countries. Jeff also employed travel in his teaching when he conducted class trips to Mexico, France, and other countries.