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Jesse Salem Obituary
Sep. 20, 1942 - Mar. 21, 2017
Alameda California
Alameda Ca. — Jesse Richard Salem, 74, died Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at his Alameda, CA residence following his illness with cancer.
He leaves his wife of 51 years, Patricia Salem; his son Chris Salem; sister Bernie Denzer of Wisconsin; two grandchildren; and many close friends. He is predeceased by his sister Virginia Fleege of Illinois and parents Richard and Mildred Salem.
Jesse was born in Portage, Wisconsin and raised in San Carlos, California. He lived in the San Jose, California area most of his adult life, including over 40 years in Cupertino.
Father, husband, scientist, inventor, innovator, and man of faith, Jesse Salem brought humor, love and knowledge to all he came in contact with.
Jesse attended Belmont High School and, having honorably served in the US Army from 1966 – 1970, he attended and graduated San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering. He worked for IBM for 35 years at the Almaden Research Facility where he earned numerous awards and patents for his work in the area of materials science.
Once retired, Jesse started working at the Exploratorium in San Francisco developing exhibits that inspired and engaged young learners. A longtime member of Los Gatos United Methodist Church, Jesse regularly volunteered with the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission Program building homes. His passions for building homes, volunteerism, engineering and STEM education culminated in his co-founding the nonprofit organization Lighting for Literacy with Doug McNeil. LFL has since expanded its influence to four major continents, ten countries, and the more than 1500 youth who have participated in their lighting projects.
Truly, Jesse Salem brought light into the lives of thousands.
A memorial service will be held at Los Gatos United Methodist Church April 29th at 10:30 AM.
Friends and family wishing to make a donation are encouraged to visit lightingforliteracy.org.
View the online memorial for Jesse Salem
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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