Obituary for Harry E. Schuster

Harry E. Schuster, 93, of Cedar Rapids, died February 20, 2011 at his home. Inurnment will be held on May 21, 2011, at Lone Pine Cemetery, Martinstown, Missouri. Arrangements were entrusted to Iowa Cremation. Surviving are his children; Nancy (Ted) Funk of Highland Park, IL, John (Jan) Schuster of Derby, KS, Susan (Ed) Harapat of Cedar Rapids, IA and Jane (Bob) McConnell of Mankato, MN; grandchildren, Daniel (Vonda) Schuster of Wichita, KS, Alex (Fede) Funk of New York, NY, Mark Schuster of Derby, KS, Ted (Lara) Harapat of Cedar Rapids, Krisjan (Gary) Phelps of Green Hill, NC, Kari (Shawn) Elhard of Cedar Rapids, Neal Schuster of St. Paul, MN and Bennett Harapat of Cedar Rapids; nine great grandchildren and several extended family members. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Nancy, and four brothers and sisters. Harry Elroy Schuster was born January 28, 1918 in Martinstown, Missouri the son of Pearl Roy and Martha (Ledford) Schuster. He graduated in 1939 from Washington University in St. Louis, MO, with a degree in electrical engineering. He was united in marriage to Nancy Wells on June 1, 1940 in Powersville, Missouri. He served his country honorably in the United States Army Air Corps during WWII. He helped pioneer radar, training soldiers in its use for the defense of the United States and United Kingdom. He was employed for more than 30 years at Rockwell Collins, retiring as the Director of Research and Development. He spent his career as an innovator and inventor, creating systems used for navigation. Harry had countless interests and hobbies. Some of his most notable were building and using ham radio equipment, walnut tree farming, restoring late model autos, photography, golfing and fishing. He was a ham radio operator since before1940. His greatest pleasure came from his family, who will greatly miss him. The family would like to extend special thanks to all the caregivers, friends, and those who assisted Harry and his family. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Hospice of Mercy in Cedar Rapids, IA.