Adam Ewert passed away on Friday January 9, 2026 at the age of 98. He lived a long and rich life of humility, and thankfulness, which began on December 1, 1927 in Mountain Lake, Minnesota. Adam was the youngest of David and Agatha Ewert's 12 children and he embraced the family values of faith in God and service to others. As a child he shared in the chores on the family farm, but after high school decided farm life and cold winters were not for him, so he headed to Tabor College in Kansas and earned a degree in biology in 1951. After graduation he joined Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Voluntary Service for 2 years doing flood cleanup in Kansas, and public health work in Mississippi, which strengthened his desire to help those with less fortune. He continued doing relief work with MCC in Korea and Vietnam for the next several years, and visited 11 other countries. After all those life lessons it was back to book smarts, which led to a masters degree in microbiology from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in 1960, and a PhD in parasitology from Tulane University in 1963.

Luckily for Adam, in between all the traveling and schooling, he met and married Alice Schmidt on August 26, 1960. Their son Michael was born just after graduation from Tulane and daughter Janine was born a year and a half later during Adam's 3-year stint teaching and researching at the University of Singapore. Adam and Alice finally settled down in Galveston, Texas in 1967 when he joined the faculty at UTMB. They enjoyed life on the island, where they raised their family, were active in their West End Baptist Church, and ultimately retired in 1993. During his career Adam's adventurous spirit continued with a 1-year sabbatical to Colombia in 1977, and visiting professor trips to Japan, Taiwan and China. Just after retirement he was awarded a Fulbright fellowship and spent a few months in Pakistan and Bangladesh researching treatments for parasitic diseases. It was his lifelong hope to see the eradication of the neglected tropical diseases he researched, and he was pleased that the Carter Center and other organizations have taken an interest in eliminating the suffering they cause.

Adam may have slowed down a little in retirement, but he still enjoyed many activities, including making food art, tending his lily pond in the backyard, rooting for the Houston Astros, and teaching English with Alice to international students. When Hurricane Ike flooded their home in 2008, they decided to move to a retirement apartment complex in nearby Friendswood. There they made some new friends but kept the old. Adam stayed active and sharp at home with books, puzzles, writing about his life, and making food art for friends and neighbors. When Alice got dementia, he lovingly cared for her until her death in 2015, even beating cancer to be there for her. He appreciated the excellent hospice and personal caregivers that helped care for Alice and him in their later years. Traveling slowed down for Adam, except for a trip along the Mississippi River with Mike and a notable trip to Holland with Janine and Samantha when he was 91. He lived long enough to see two great-grandchildren be born, and to watch the Astros win the World Series twice!

Adam was preceded in death by his parents and siblings and is survived by his son Michael and daughter-in-law Patty, daughter Janine, and grandchildren Samantha and husband Angel, Andy, Megan, Allen and wife Kathy, and great grandchildren August and Brennan.

Visitation will be at 9am and funeral at 10am Wednesday January 14th at Carnes Funeral Home, 3100 Gulf Freeway in Texas City. Burial will follow at Galveston Memorial Park in Hitchcock where he will be laid to rest next to his beloved wife Alice. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mennonite Central Committee or Tabor College.