Frederick Hamilton Sexsmith

Frederick Hamilton Sexsmith

Frederick Hamilton Sexsmith, 91, of Erie, passed away on Saturday, April 18, 2020, at Forestview Skilled Nursing Center. He was born March 30, 1929 in Fort Erie, Ontario to the late Royal Lee and Florence Agnes (Hamilton) Sexsmith.

Fred earned his Bachelor's (1951) and Master's (1952) Degrees from Queen's University in Kingston Ontario and went on to earn another Master's Degree (1954) and his Doctorate of Philosophy in Physical Chemistry (1957) from Princeton University where he published his Thesis which was later published in the Journal of Colloid science (1959). During his time at Princeton he was a member of the Society of the Sigma Xi, an organization devoted to the promotion of research in science. In March 1957 Fred became a Graduate Fellow in Textile Research after completing two years of service as a Research Fellow at the Textile Research Institute in Princeton, New Jersey.

All of his degrees were achieved with honors and during his academic pursuits he was awarded many accolades. Dr. Sexsmith also published many papers on various chemical adhesion, absorption and emulsion reactions which he presented at various technical conferences across the country.

Dr. Sexsmith joined Johnson & Johnson as a research chemist at the Chicopee Falls, MA plant and in 1956 and was transferred to the Milltown Research Division in 1957 where he achieved the position of Director of Research. He then went on to join the LORD Corporation at their Hughson Chemical Company as a Manager in the Research and Development Division then working his way up to Senior Fellow in International operations. During his employment at both Johnson & Johnson then LORD Corporation, Dr. Sexsmith used his talent and knowledge to obtain numerous patents.

In 1993, Dr. Sexsmith was the recipient of LORD Corporation's Innovation Award for international advancement of rubber-to-metal bonding technology, patented contributions to CHEMLOK, VERSILOK and PHOTOGLAZE product lines, and achievement of Senior Fellow status and technical recognition beyond LORD Corporation.

Dr. Sexsmith described his love of his work and passion for physical chemistry saying "Chemical formulations are inherently fascinating because their performance can be astonishingly different from what is expected. And that is often the pathway of innovation."

Dr. Sexsmith contributed to the 1994 book Rubber Products Manufacturing Technology.

Dr. Sexsmith retired from LORD Corporation in 2005, after 30 years of service. During his time with LORD he had the opportunity to travel and collaborate with colleagues all over the world including Germany, Japan, China, Australia, Brazil, and the United Kingdom.

Following his retirement, Fred continued to travel the world with his wife, Joan, enjoying many cultures and immersing himself in history.

Fred was an avid philatelist who was an active member of the Erie Stamp Club for many years. Fred also enjoyed golfing with his friends and family. He was also a member of the Freemason organization.

He was preceded in death by his brother-in-law Russell Dunton.

Fred is survived by wife of 55 years, Joan (Mather) Sexsmith; his son, Malcolm Hamilton Sexsmith, wife Arlene Neely (Dutchie), of Raleigh, NC; his daughter, Katherine Anne Sexsmith, of Erie; and his grandchildren George Hamilton and Charlee Neely Sexsmith, of Raleigh, NC.

He is further survived by his sister, Elizabeth Dunton, of Ontario, NY and her children; Kirby Carespodi (husband Dennis and children John and Libby) of Winston-Salem NC, Ian Dunton (wife Danielle and son Zachary) of Rochester NY, and Kirsten Dunton (husband John Hugill and children Jackson and Abigail) of Tallahassee FL.

Funeral services are private and being held at the convenience of the family. Arrangements are being handled by the John R. Orlando Funeral Home, Inc., 2122 Raspberry Street, Erie, PA 16502. Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601 (www.alz.org).