Norman Henry Tolk, age 88, of Brentwood, TN, passed away peacefully late on the night of June 19, 2026. He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Merle Tolk; sister Catherine Tolk; wife, Marilyn Tolk; and son Jeffrey Tolk. Norman is survived by his sister Marilyn (Larry) Dean; daughter-in-law Astrid Tuminez; children Bentley (Jennifer) Tolk, David (Lisa) Tolk, Rebecca (Dan) Clark, and Amy (Kirk) Richards; seventeen grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and innumerable friends and loved ones.

Norman was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, on January 9, 1938. From a very young age, he was taken by science and a desire to know how everything works. After a dispute with a teacher when he was in the second grade, he determined that he would become a physicist. He got his first “real” scientific job at a national laboratory in Idaho, where he shot jackrabbits to protect crops. Upon graduating from high school, he moved east to continue his education. He received his AB degree in physics from Harvard College in 1960 and a PhD in atomic physics from Columbia University in 1966.

It was at a singles ward dance in New York that he met the love of his life and future wife, Marilyn Anne Neubauer. A mutual friend introduced them while Norman was writing physics equations on a napkin, and he only briefly looked up to exchange names before resuming his work. After a less-than-perfect introduction, they crossed paths again at a fireside, and Norman walked her home after helping her find her lost shoes. They bonded over their love of music. Norman and Marilyn were married in the Cardston Alberta Temple on December 19, 1961. They had their first son, Jeffrey, together in 1963. Their five children were the joys of their lives.

Following a postdoc at Columbia, Norman joined AT&T Bell Laboratories, where he carried out research on surface and interface physics using directed-energy photon and particle beams. Norman and his family initially moved to Westfield, New Jersey, and subsequently, to Mendham, New Jersey, where they lived for 14 years. In 1984, he accepted a job as a full Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Vanderbilt University, and the family moved to Brentwood, Tennessee. This would become their home. He was also an Adjunct Professor of Physics at Fisk University.

Norman’s research was conducted on a variety of topics, including non-linear laser-surface and laser-interface interactions, ultra-fast vibrational and electronic vibrational processes at surfaces and interfaces, spin dynamics, desorption induced by electronic and vibrational processes, and atomic collision physics. At Vanderbilt, he headed a multidisciplinary group in a successful bid to bring a Free-Electron Laser (FEL) to the university and became the acting director of the Vanderbilt FEL Center. In 1987, he received the Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist Award and accepted the opportunity to perform research at the Free University in Berlin, where he witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall. Norman was a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the holder of eight patents, and the author or co-author of three books and over 270 papers. He was incredibly passionate about his career, calling it the “greatest job in the world,” and he worked until he physically could not anymore.

During his career, Norman was pleased to have the opportunity to travel all around the world for physics conferences and symposiums. He spent time in Russia, China, Germany, Italy, and many other places that he grew to love. Most of all, he loved to visit Disney World in Orlando, Florida. He and Marilyn were annual pass holders, and they frequently brought their children and grandchildren with them to the Wilderness Lodge Resort.

Vanderbilt and Brentwood became Norman and Marilyn’s home. Their three younger children attended school in Brentwood. Norman and Marilyn were incredibly active in various choirs, where Norman was the conductor, and Marilyn was the pianist and organ player. Norman and Marilyn were instrumental in founding and running the Nashville Community Choir. With the Nashville Community Choir, Norman directed a performance of Handel’s Messiah almost every year—a tradition that he and Marilyn continued from their time in New Jersey. The Latter-day Saint community in Middle Tennessee, where they were active members, was deeply impacted by the Tolks. Norman was passionate about the intersection between science, music, and religion. He was famously interviewed for the “I’m a Mormon” video series, in which he said that his faith was integral to both his life and his scientific work.

Norman’s life was centered on service, and he was always willing to help someone in need. On multiple occasions, he and Marilyn took in families experiencing temporary financial setbacks, single pregnant women needing a place to stay before giving birth, and others in need for various reasons to live with and/or spend time with the Tolk family. Norman was constantly opening his home to those who needed support, fellowship, or friendship. His life exemplifies one who aspired to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

The Tolks were community builders, hosting music parties at their house where people from all sorts of backgrounds would gather to share their talents over dessert and conversation. Many people were touched by the life of Norman Tolk. He is and will be dearly missed.