Obituary of Randall Furlong (1958-2013)

RANDALL COLLINS FURLONG, 55, died on April 19, 2013 in Houston Texas, after a courageous battle with a rare cancer. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family. Randy was born on February 19, 1958 in Austin Texas, to Norman Burr Furlong and Cynthia Lynnelle Collins Furlong. He attended Rice University in Houston and the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, and received degrees in physics and art history from Rice in 1981. Randy earned a Ph. D. in high-energy theoretical particle physics from the Rockefeller University in Manhattan in 1987, and after a post doc at Brookhaven National Laboratory, went on to earn a JD at Georgetown University Law School in Washington D.C. He married the love of his life, Caroline Shipp Bowles, in Houston Texas on August 30, 1997. Randy practiced intellectual property law in Houston, and especially enjoyed his last two years as counsel for Muons, Inc. a research and development organization comprised of fellow physicists whom he greatly admired. Randy was a man of many talents, widely read in physics, mathematics, philosophy and politics. In his spare time, he could often be found making abstract mathematical calculations or revising his formula for calculating the masses of sub-atomic particles, or devising a way to get energy from a sub-atomic particle called a muon. He was a New Testament Greek scholar, who offered a seminary level Greek class at St John the Divine Episcopal Church for more than a decade, where he taught many people to read the Bible in Greek. He loved music of all kinds and was a devoted member of the choir at St Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, and an active member of his church community. Randy made lifelong friends at every stage of his journey through life. Even in his fight with appendix cancer, he formed friendships and supported others who had the same illness. Randy was a wonderful husband, a devoted son, brother and uncle, who loved spending time with his family and his wide circle of friends, especially over a meal. He loved traveling, loved Italy and the Greek islands and especially loved trans-Atlantic cruises. He spent many happy hours reading his books on the balcony of a cruise ship. He is survived by his wife Caroline Bowles Furlong; his parents Burr and Cynthia Furlong of Houston; his brother Norman Burr Furlong III and wife Natasha, of Bellevue Washington, his sister Lynn Furlong Greenly and husband Davin, of Trophy Club Texas, and eleven nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on May 13, 2013, in the sanctuary of St Martins Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Rd., Houston, Texas. A reception will follow at the church. Prior to the service, a private graveside service will be held at Glenwood Cemetery, 2525 Washington Avenue in Houston. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to MD Anderson Cancer Center P.O. Box 4486 Houston, TX 77210-4486, or online at http://www.mdanderson.org/gifts , or to the charity of one’s choice.