Owning a patent, or a lot of them, does not make anyone a great inventor. But it is a recognized measure of commitment and accomplishment. The 10 innovators here who died in 2025 accumulated over 215 patents in their names—an indication of the kind of purposeful passion that solved a problem or filled a void in society in memorable ways.
Speaking of numbers: supporting the notion that curiosity keeps the mind active and can add to longevity, four of these inventors lived to at least 95.
Joan Anderson
A model who said she went on assignments with Marilyn Monroe before the latter became famous, Anderson invented the hula hoop craze in the United States and even named it—but received no credit for much of her life.
She moved from Sydney, Australia, to California in 1946. Visiting Australia 10 years later, she saw people swiveling wooden hoops around their waists for exercise. Intrigued, she sent one back to California, where it became entertainment at dinner parties. Its use resembled Hawaiian hula dancing, leading her to name it the hula hoop.
Her husband introduced her to toy businessman Arthur “Spud” Melin and arranged a meeting to pitch the hula hoop for his company, Wham-O. She said they were told that if the toy caught on, they would be compensated. The only deal was a “gentleman’s handshake.”
Wham-O developed a colorful plastic version and sold millions within months of its launch. When Melin—falsely credited with inventing the hoop—did not contact the Andersons, they filed a lawsuit against Wham-O in 1961 that ended in a settlement of $6,000 after lawyer’s fees.
“They just ignored us and totally cut us off,” Anderson said in the 2018 documentary Hula Girl. “You just hoped they’d do the right thing, but they didn’t.”
She died July 14 at 101.
Bill Atkinson
Contemporaries described pioneering Apple Computer designer Bill Atkinson with awe: “Bill Atkinson may well have been the best computer programmer who ever lived.” “Looking at his code was like looking at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.”
Atkinson transformed abstract computer science into intuitive visual experiences used by nearly everyone today. His Hypercard program preceded hyperlinked elements of the World Wide Web. His QuickDraw graphics engine made the Macintosh interface possible. He introduced bitmap editing via MacPaint and is credited with inventing pull-down menus and popularizing the double click.
He was also a talented nature photographer.
He once wrote, “If we could encourage sharing ideas between different areas of knowledge, perhaps more of the bigger picture would emerge, and eventually more wisdom might develop.”
He died June 5 at 74.
Finis (Lavell) Chisum
Best known as the inventor of the EZ Liner frame machine for straightening collision-damaged vehicles, Chisum transformed multiple industries with his inventions.
His life spanned the plains of Oklahoma to the Alaskan frontier, where he homesteaded in the 1950s and refined his mechanical skills. His Chisum Log Mill prepared raw logs to uniform sizes for log home construction.
Chisum, who held more than 20 patents, was named Oklahoma Bar Association Inventor of the Year in 1982.
He died May 7 at 98.
Robert Fliri
The inventor of the popular FiveFingers climbing shoes—essentially gloves for the feet—Fliri may be remembered as much for his tragic death as for his groundbreaking design. He fell nearly 1,000 feet while descending an ice wall in Italy.
Fliri created the “barefoot” shoe concept while in design school and later partnered with Vibram. He held 15 footwear-related patents. The shoes were named one of the best inventions of 2007 by Time magazine and became tools for runners and rehabilitation specialists.
“I have always sought more contact with nature,” he once said.
He died March 4 at 48.
Dr. Robert Jarvik
Jarvik was the lead designer of the first permanent artificial heart implanted in a human: the Jarvik-7.
The device, made of plastic and aluminum, was implanted in 61-year-old Barney Clark on December 2, 1982. Clark lived 112 days with the artificial heart, powered by a 400-pound air compressor.
Jarvik was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1983 and is listed on 42 cardiac-related patents.
He died May 26 at 79.
David Monroe
Monroe, founder of the San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology, died in a tragic accident involving a 5,000-pound jet engine.
He developed key technologies that made modern cellphone cameras possible and held more than 54 patents across microprocessors, wireless networks, teleradiology and electronics.
A lifelong STEM advocate, Monroe created maker spaces, camps and workshops to engage young people in science and technology.
He died September 19 at 72.
Francesco Rivella
Italian media called Rivella the father of Nutella.
He began working at Ferrero in 1952 and contributed to refining the hazelnut-chocolate spread from its early form (Giandujot) to SuperCrema and ultimately to Nutella’s final recipe in 1964.
He traveled the world studying confectionery trends in search of the perfect taste.
He died February 14 at 97.
Duane Roberts
Roberts created the frozen burrito empire that transformed the frozen food industry—despite not holding a patent.
His family’s meat wholesaling business experimented with new ideas, and when a butcher suggested burritos, Roberts got to work perfecting them. His company eventually grew from one small plant to six plants with 1,400 workers.
He later restored the historic Riverside Mission Inn Hotel and Spa, preserving a key architectural landmark.
He died November 1 at 88.
Anthony Sinskey
Longtime MIT professor Anthony Sinskey co-founded the Center for Biomedical Innovation and was awarded 54 patents and more than 380 peer-reviewed publications.
His lab explored metabolic engineering and biomolecule production, contributing to multiple biotech companies.
He died February 12 at 84.
George E. Smith
Smith, a U.S. Navy veteran, received the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics for co-inventing the Charge Coupled Device (CCD), the sensor behind nearly all modern digital imaging.
Tiny but powerful, the CCD revolutionized astronomy, medicine and photography.
Smith held 31 patents, authored more than 40 papers and once sailed around the world.
He died May 28 at 95.