Obituary of Josef Kochling

Dr. Josef Kochling, aged 86, of Ocean Ridge, Florida, and Montclair, New Jersey passed away suddenly on May 20th, 2024.

Josef was born on Dec 2, 1937 in Lippstadt, West Germany. He moved with his family first to Copenhagen, Denmark and then to Northern Ireland, where he graduated from Omagh Academy in 1957. While at Omagh Academy he met his future wife, Eveline, whom he married in 1961. After obtaining both his BS and PhD in Chemistry at Queen’s University Belfast, he moved his young family to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he completed his post- doctoral research at MIT.

Dr. Kochling began his professional career in pharmaceuticals at Hoffman La Roche, in Nutley New Jersey and raised his family in Montclair. An avid sportsman, he shared his love of soccer, tennis, and running with his children. A lifelong Bayern Munich supporter, he played soccer with the Haledon Soccer Club and for over 25 years, he served as Treasurer for the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. He was also a Mercedes automobile enthusiast and enjoyed classical music, particularly opera.

In 1990, he and Eveline moved to Holland, Michigan, where Josef served as General Manager of Parke Davis-Warner Lambert Pharmacueticals. After a posting in Cork, Ireland and extensive European travel, he retired in 2001.

He is survived by his wife, Eveline, a sister Mianna, his three children, Heinrich (Jianmei), Edmund (Susan) and Sarah and three grandchildren, Christopher, Alexander and Atiana.

A service will be held at Hugh M. Moriarty Funeral Home in Montclair, on Tuesday, May 28th at 11:00AM, with internment to follow at Mt. Hebron Cemetery in Upper Montclair. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Montclair Ambulance Unit would be appreciated.