Dr. Harry Jacob Neumiller Jr., 82, of Galesburg, Ill., died Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012, at Cottage Hospital.

He was born Dec. 25, 1929, in Peoria, Ill., the son of Harry Jacob and Grace Lucille Gridley Neumiller Sr. He married Joan Christine Dilts on Sept. 14, 1957, in Central Presbyterian Church in Geneseo, N.Y., where her father, the Rev. William H. Dilts, officiated. She survives.

Also surviving are three daughters, Christine M. Neumiller of Olympia, Wash., Catherine A. Neumiller (Paul Schneidereit) of Nova Scotia, Canada, and Caroline G. Neumiller (Jeff) Pfeffer of Deerfield, Ill; one son, John H.J. (Joan Hillebrand) Neumiller of Mahtomedi, Minn.; four grandchildren, Thomas, Benjamin, David and Grace; two stepgrandchildren, Rebecca and Erika; one brother, C. Richard "Dick" Neumiller of Peoria; and two nieces and a nephew.

He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Tom G. Neumiller.

Dr. Neumiller was a professor emeritus at Knox College and was an organic chemistry professor there from 1959 until 1997, and registrar from 1976 until 1997, when he retired. He previously worked at Eastman Kodak Research Laboratory in Rochester, N.Y., from 1956 to 1959.

He graduated from Peoria Central High School in Illinois in 1947. He then graduated summa cum laude from Knox College in Illinois in 1951 with his bachelor's degree and later graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign with his master's degree in 1952 and his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1956.

He was a longtime member of First Presbyterian Church in Galesburg and served as an elder and in many other roles there. He was a longtime volunteer with Cub Scouts. He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Lambda Upsilon honor societies; a member, board member and faculty adviser of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity (Knox); a 50-year member of the American Chemical Society (ACS); a member of the Midwestern Association of Chemistry Teachers in Liberal Arts Colleges (MACTLAC); a 50-year member of the Illinois State Academy of Science (ISAS); a member of the Knox College Fifty Year Club; and a member of the Republican Party of Knox County.

He grew up spending summers at Stead's Ranch, near Estes Park, Colo., and once climbed Longs Peak.

He instilled in his children, grandchildren and those around him a great love and appreciation for nature and the sciences and a sense of community responsibility. He was a lifelong advocate for both Knox College and the community of Galesburg, Ill.

He had a keen memory, a wonderful sense of humor, a great knowledge of science and history, a passion for astronomy and meteorology and a love of architecture. He enjoyed gardening, attending the Knox-Galesburg Symphony, the National Stearman Fly-In, plane, train and ship spotting and watching football, baseball, basketball, golf and the Indy 500.