Elmer Ambrose Sperry

Elmer A. Sperry III, 93, beloved husband for 65 years to Alice DeKlyn Sperry, passed away on August 1st at home with family by his side.

Elmer was born on August 22, 1925 in Brooklyn, NY to the late Elmer Jr. and Helen Duffy Sperry. At 17, Elmer joined the US Navy and served on a submarine in the Pacific theater until the end of the war. After the war, he completed high school and graduated from Columbia University. Elmer was both an electrical and chemical engineer. He designed electro-chemical water quality measurement devices for Beckman Instruments in Cedar Grove, NJ until retiring in 1985. He was the holder of 9 US patents and he designed instrumentation used on the Apollo 11 mission spacecraft, power plants and nuclear submarines. He was a private pilot for many years, an avid reader, a photographer, a poet, a fisherman, a furniture builder, home improver, plumber, electrician, a regular skier and golfer thru his mid-80's, a man of high energy and constant activity. He could build or fix anything and was quite knowledgeable and opinionated on a multitude of subjects. He was rather risk-averse.

Elmer lived for many years in Pompton Plains, NJ where he and Alice raised their family. Thirty-one years ago he moved to Meredith. Extremely devoted to his 4 children and 7 grandchildren he enjoyed helping his family learn, succeed and grow.

In addition to his wife Alice he is survived by his four children and their spouses: Elmer IV and his wife Monica Edgerton-Sperry, Lucy and her husband Nabil N. El-Hage, Edward and his wife Kim Sperry, and Helen Sperry and her husband Maurizio Zineddu. He is also survived by seven grandchildren: Nelson Elhage, Beatrice El-Hage, Justin Sperry, Taylor Sperry and his wife Kathleen Rosse Sperry, Clelia Zineddu and her husband Patrick Bergamo, Lidia Zineddu, and Stefano Zineddu. He will be greatly missed.

A private family gathering was held Saturday, August 3rd in remembrance and to celebrate his life.