Old Lyme - Rolf G. Kasper, 73, passed away peacefully Saturday, April 30, 2016, at Connecticut Hospice in Branford, after a long illness.

Born in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, on June 11, 1942, he immigrated to the United States at the age of 12, becoming a standout athlete in soccer, basketball and baseball in Stratford. Attending Union College on athletic scholarships, he earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. Graduate studies at Georgia Tech lead to a master of science degree and further studies at Yale, where he received his Ph.D. in 1971.

He began his career in New London, at the Naval Underwater Systems Center, developing expertise in material science, computer simulation, and electromagnetics. He was an author on numerous papers and inventor on more than a half dozen patents. Recognized for his contributions throughout his career, he was especially proud of the Presidential Rank Award in 2004, the Decibel Award in 2006 and the Robert Dexter Conrad Award in 2007.

He enjoyed reading, art and painting and was an avid sports fan.

Rolf is survived by his wife of 49 years, Mariana; sons, Kent and his wife, Katrin, and their children, Grant and Grace of Lee, N.H., and Craig of Old Lyme; half-brother, Hans-Joachim of Germany; and seven nieces and four nephews.

He was predeceased by his mother and father.

A funeral service will be held 1 p.m. on Friday, May 6, at the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, 34 Main St., in Centerbrook. Burial will follow in the Duck River Cemetery in Old Lyme.

Memorial contributions in his name may be made to Connecticut Hospice, 100 Double Beach Road, Branford, CT 06405.

To share a memory of Rolf or send a condolence to his family, please visit www. rwwfh.com.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Day on May 4, 2016.

Memories and Condolences
for Rolf Kasper

Sponsored by Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home.

22 Entries

Hans-Joachim Kasper

May 22, 2016

Our time together was too short.
We will miss you and we will never forget you.

In love

Hans-Joachim Kasper und Beate Oldenburg /Germany
Tammo und Wenka Kasper Hamburg / Germany

Jess Prochilo

May 21, 2016

RIP, Rolf.

In Hoc.

Annette Campbell

May 11, 2016

Rolf was a dear friend and favorite inventor. I knew Rolf for many years. He also shared stories about his wife and how she kept him in line. He will be greatly missed.
Annette Campbell

Hugh Murphy

May 11, 2016

Rolf was a highly-talented engineer but most importantly a fine gentleman. He was a pleasure to work with and his innovations will continue to serve our country long into the future. Rest in peace - good Rolf.

Ronald Soccoli

May 11, 2016

I am always saddened when I lose another good friend. Worked with Rolf at the Sound Lab and cherish my memories of and with him there. My condolences to the family and note that he is not gone, not forgotten just away.

Ron Soccoli

Pete Robinson

May 10, 2016

I have very fond memories of working for and with Rolf at NUWC in New London. He was a rare combination - a true intellectual with a great sense of humor. He definitely made an impact on a lot of people. My condolences to his family and friends.

Jan Hine

May 8, 2016

My sincere condolences to the Kasper family but especially to Craig who I know will miss his Dad enormously. May you all find strength in the happy memories. Rolf leaves a long trail of admirers of all his talents and strengths.

Jan Hine

May 8, 2016

It seems as though Rolf has always been in the background of our lives, entwined with those of our sons. He was always a good friend of my late husband Jonathan when they worked together at NUSC and Craig and William have enjoyed a friendship since their teens through the kindness of Rolf. I know he will be greatly missed by you all but know that we share your grief in a small and special way. May you find some comfort in knowing he was special to many others too. Warm and fond thoughts to you all. Enjoy the good memories. Jan Hine

Nancy (Seely) Butler

May 7, 2016

To Mariana and Family,

I am so sorry for your loss. Rolf was a great guy.

Nancy Seely-Butler

Bob Chapman

May 6, 2016

There is not enough time to nor words eloquent enough to describe the loss I that feel on this day. Rolf was truly a friend and mentor a friend and mentor of approximately 44 years a genuine force behind the direction of my first career choice to work at NUWC. My father built his family's home and was my father's friend as well. If there was a gap in time between a friendly call after I had moved on along a different career path there was no gap in the enthusiasm of the discussion, interest in family and work, sports, and reminiscences of good times spent. To honor you Rolf is to work hard with enthusiasm and interest, cognizant of the interesting and meaningful truths found along the way and on what was found at the end of the path. It is to be bold, to be disciplined, to be rigorous, to be a mentor and to be a friend. There is no instruction manual that aids in the development of these skills, it is only by viewing someone of extraordinary capability and trying to capture what you see and feel from the experience. It was my great fortune to have you as my friend Rolf, and I thank you. I have often and will continue to have your voice with me.

My deepest condolences go to the entire family - Mimi, Craig and Kent - everyone. Rolf was a very large and beautiful soul.

Jeff Barclay

May 6, 2016

My condolences to Rolf's family. Mentor and friend barely describe what Rolf was to a generation of engineers at NUWC. While some of us have scattered over the years, his kindness and enthusiasm remain deeply ingrained.

William Hine

May 6, 2016

Reading of Rolf's death came with both shock and sadness . He was always extremely kind and generous with his time to me. I will miss him, and admire his intellect and humor. My deepest condolences to Mimi, Craig, Kent, Katrin, Grant, and Grace.

John Casey

May 5, 2016

I wish to extend my deepest sympathies to Rolf Kasper's family over his passing. Rolf was my teacher, mentor, and friend for more than 40 years. I first met Rolf in the Fall Semester of 1974 as a student in his differential equations course. Rolf played a major role in my decision to pursue engineering as a career path. In 1981, Rolf helped me to get hired at NUWC, where I have truly enjoyed a career of nearly 35 years. During my career at NUWC, I was privileged to work with Rolf on various projects. Rolf was a gifted engineer, great motivator and leader; he exhibited an enthusiasm that created a fun and exciting work atmosphere. What I appreciated most about Rolf was his caring nature; he was always willing to go out of his way to help others. Rolf helped guide me and many other junior engineers in our pursuit of a technical career path at NUWC. I will forever be indebted to Rolf. I'm saddened to lose my mentor and friend.

My prayers are with all of you. May the Lord comfort you during this difficult time.

Sincerely,

John P. Casey

Kenneth Lima

May 5, 2016

My sincere condolences goes out to Rolf's family. I funded some of Rolf's research work for many years. He was extremely bright, fair, and of the highest integrity. We shared many laughs and I always enjoyed our conversations. I was blessed to have known him and worked with him and so sad to learn of his passing. We have all lost a very special man and scientist. God bless him and his family.

Fred Allard

May 5, 2016

I was saddened to hear of Rolf's passing and my sympathy is with Mimi and sons.

Rolf was an amazing man--not just a coworker at our Navy lab---but an intelligent, insightful professional of uncompromising integrity. More than that, he was a loyal friend at work.

One of my fondest memories was a boat ride on Fishers Island Sound with Rolf, Mimi, and Craig. I wish there had been more times like that.

Don Kluberdanz

May 5, 2016

I was fortunate enough to work with Rolf for my first 10 years at NUWC starting in 1985. Rolf was the most highly qualified and patient mentor a young professional could ask for. He spoke often of his family and fully appreciated the benefits of being the best father and husband he could be. Rolf was a true gentleman, a true professional, and a man to whom any of us could aspire.

May 5, 2016

Rolf was a good neighbor and friend.
Nancy Mason Johnson

Juergen Keil

May 4, 2016

Rolf was one of the most respected persons I know because of his intellect, his passion and his caring for his organization and his coworkers. I will always treasure Rolf coming to my office to alert me to a situation that needed attention for the betterment of the organization and his fellow workers. He was passionate for doing the right thing and we are all the better for having known him.
Juergen

Jim Hall

May 4, 2016

Rolf was an insightful and articulate scientist and a pleasure to work with during the Lab part of my life as well as being part of Scouts in Old Lyme.

Michael Plouffe

May 4, 2016

To Mrs. Kasper, Craig, Kent, and all of Mr. Rolf Kasper's family and friends -

I am so sorry to learn of Rolf's passing and extend my deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to you all. I had the pleasure of knowing Rolf from having attended primary school with his son Craig here in Old Lyme, and on occasion would spend time at the Kasper household where I got to meet Rolf. He, Craig and I would often talk baseball, a subject all 3 of us were very passionate about! I even remember that once he learned about my serious interest in computers, he took Craig and I one day to his office where he showed us what he did as an engineer at the Naval Underwater System Center, a job which he clearly loved, and it was extremely evident that he was very knowledgeable in his field and had great expertise in what he did. I found his work fascinating, and seeing what he did at my then young age, along with other friend's fathers who also worked heavily with computers, honestly had a profound impact on me and piqued and nurtured the budding interest I already had in the then early field of computing. It seriously helped to develop that interest in me and definitely contributed to my attending college many years later to study computer science. Even now, 25 years later, I can vividly remember how fascinating the trip was to his office and getting to see firsthand what he did. He was such a kind man, taking the time to do something like that for a friend of his son's. His kindness, however, certainly didn't start or end with just that. I always felt very welcome and comfortable in their house which was so full of warmth, an atmosphere created and maintained by the Kasper family.

Despite being so many years since I've had the pleasure of seeing him, I will greatly miss him. I wish I could do more than extend my condolences and assure you all that he will be missed by a great many people whose lives he touched, not just me. God bless.

James DiMarco

May 4, 2016

Such an Honor and pleasure to work with Rolf an absolute genius and soft spoken man that was the best Mentor the Navy could have. A man of such great vision and dreams. Our Fleet is what it is today because of great contributions that Rolf dreamed of and persevered into realities. He always wanted to share his successes with everyone by encouraging them be part of his projects as he helped them grow as individuals. Rolf was a Team Leader of a team that was made up of individual leaders. Rolf allowed and encourage his teams to accelerate along side him. His open door policy was one of listening and support. Rolf reluctantly accepted the temporary position of Division Head because his time was so preoccupied with many projects and all of his outside activities. But, he stuck it out and ended up being the greatest D.H. that our code ever had. My Thoughts and Prayers go out to Rolf and his family. A great man that will be missed by all those that ever had the honor of meeting him; one of the greatest engineers I have ever known.

Richard Mason

May 4, 2016

Dear Mimi,
I am saddened to read of Rolf's passing away. We shared good memories of years at Union College and Sigma Chi together. Your support of our agency for many, many years was enormously important to me personally and also to my son, Gregory. God bless you and the boys! Dick Masoni

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