Hermann Kaiser

Hermann Kaiser, 85, of O’Fallon, MO, passed away on Thursday August 8, 2024.

Hermann was born on May 7th, 1939, to Anton Kaiser and Theresia Thini in a German area in Romania and moved to Mönchröen (near Coburg, Germany) when he was 6 years old. In 1956, he came to the United States and lived in Detroit, Michigan. He became a United States citizen in 1963.

From a young age, Hermann would take everything apart to figure out how it worked, and this is something he enjoyed doing throughout his lifetime. Hermann graduated from Cass Technical High School and then went on to study mechanical engineering at Wayne State University.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, he went to work in the automotive industry. He had 13 patents over his career. Out of all patents, the most influential and life-saving patent was the invention of the crash sensor that is used in automotive airbags. He remained very active in inventing new ideas up until his passing.

Hermann first met his wife, Marlis, at the German Carpathia club and they married on June 7, 1969. They had two children, Ray and Deanna.

Hermann’s hobbies included coaching his son’s soccer team. His other hobbies were watching sports, especially hockey and tennis. He also enjoyed woodworking and nature, including sitting on the front porch and watching the hummingbirds that would come each year.

He is survived by his wife Marlis; his children, Ray (Kari) Kaiser and Deanna (Jerry) Miller; his grandchildren, Brooke Reinhart, Domi Reinhart, Austin Kaiser, and Alex Kaiser; his sister, Herta (Adam) Thiny; his nieces, Marlene (Brent) Richardson and Michelle (Pete) Voorhees; and brother-in-law, Harald (Pat) Neumann.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

A visitation and service will be held at Newcomer Funeral Home in St. Peters, MO from 2pm to 5pm on Monday, August 19th.