Obituary of Henry J. Luer

Henry J. Hank Luer 1930 2007 The son of German immigrants Franz and Sybil Luer, Hank was born on October 6, 1930 in Elizabeth and passed away one short of his 77th birthday in Boonton. A lifelong New Jersey resident, he grew up in Union and graduated from Seton Hall Prep School in 1948. Although a stint in the Army during the Korean War interrupted Hanks studies at Newark College of Engineering, he ultimately graduated at the top of his class with a degree in mechanical engineering in1956. Hank lived most of his adult life on the shores of Indian Lake in Denville with his wife Charlotte and sons Carl and Dave. Hank was a renaissance man of the 20th century whose interests ranged from science to music to wine making. His daughter in law Darcy recalls that everyone who met Hank came away amazed, amused or delighted sometimes all three. If nothing else people who knew him were impressed by his intellect, breadth of knowledge and innate curiosity about the world around him. Hank had a presence that him larger than life. Once he graduated college, Hank went to work for Bell Labs where he designed guidance systems for anti-ballistic missiles for several years before becoming supervisor for the power systems group. He was there during the companys heyday and even after 40 years, Hank always maintained his enthusiasm for working in the highest levels of technology and teaching younger engineers the skills they needed to be successful. But it was his myriad interests outside his profession that ultimately defined Hank. He was a singer of classical music. It was while singing tenor in the Masterwork Chorus that Hank met Charlotte, his soul mate and wife of almost 35 years. For most of those 35 years they sang classical music in choirs and popular music with friends in a group called Wednesdays Children. As a child, Hank learned the art of winemaking from his father and as an adult he passed it on to hundreds of friends and acquaintances who expressed an interest in making it. For 25 years, Hank and Charlotte hosted annual grape crushes that drew as many as 150 people who gathered round to grind grapes, exchange recipes and sample each others wares. Hank was an MG car enthusiast who collected and maintained a fleet of 6 classic MGs. He was active in the local chapter of the MG Car Club and took part in the rallies and car shows throughout the country. He also loved to garden, collect books, and cook (eat them) gourmet meals. In fact, it would be easier to list the subjects that escaped Hanks interest in those that occupied it. In addition to his many friends and former colleagues, Hank leaves behind his wife Charlotte, sons, Carl and David, daughters in law Darcy and Kim, granddaughters Hannah and Aurora, brother Ray sister in law Myrt, niece Cindy, nephew Kevin and his wife April, and many other relatives I the United States, Germany and Malaysia. A memorial service will be held at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ on Wednesday Oct. 24th at 11:00am . All are welcome to attend and exchange their favorite Hank stories. Funeral Arrangements thru Norman Dean Home for Services Denville, NJ please light a candle in memory of Hank on web site www.normandean.com.