Miles Conrad Huffstutler

Miles Conrad Huffstutler, Jr., Ph.D.

Miles Conrad Huffstutler, Jr., known as Conrad, died on September 29, 2025, shortly after his 94th birthday. He was born on August 8, 1931, in Birmingham, Alabama, to parents Miles Huffstutler and Irene Huffstutler (Atchison). Conrad and his wife Gail (Stewart) married in 1955 and have lived in Liberty Hill, Texas for over 30 years. They have been actively involved with their local church, North Gabriel Christian Assembly, with many treasured memories and relationships.

Early on it was apparent that Conrad was driven to achieve his goals. He was active in Scouting and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout – a formative experience which had a lasting influence on the rest of his life. He overcame life-threatening health challenges and earned his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Texas / Austin (1953). Later he enjoyed recounting numerous outlandish pranks orchestrated with his fraternity brothers. Conrad was honored to be a Registered Professional Engineer in Texas throughout his career, as he believed engineering was the foundation for all his later work.

Conrad then moved to Troy, New York to earn his master's degree in metallurgical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1955), where he met a nursing student named Gail. After graduation and marriage, they moved across the country to California. He earned his Ph.D. in metallurgy at the University of California / Berkeley (1961), and then moved to New Jersey to join Bell Laboratories, a legendary industrial laboratory. At Bell Labs, Conrad worked on several breakthrough technologies including Picturephone and Telstar, the first active communications satellite. He then transitioned into industry by joining Singer Company as a technical executive in New York city, and his work took him to many international locations to solve problems and explore new opportunities.

After his work at Singer, Conrad and his family relocated to Apple Valley, Minnesota where he became Chief Scientific Officer of an early-stage medical device company. Much of his work focused on pivoting-disc artificial heart valves, blood vessels, and kidney dialysis filters; he invented an artificial heart prosthesis. Later, Conrad studied and became a registered Patent Agent. He established a consulting practice to help clients with intellectual property matters and authored a weekly patent newsletter reviewing key decisions and appeals. His broad background in science and engineering gave him a unique capability to interpret and analyze complex technologies and patents.

Conrad was a voracious researcher of a wide variety of topics he found interesting. In recent years, he focused on new healthcare developments and technologies. He was always eager to research health issues that his family and friends were wrestling with – combing through scientific studies and clinical evidence from around the world with a critical eye that might uncover an unknown cause or potential treatment.

Conrad volunteered as Scoutmaster, teaching and mentoring young Scouts as they progressed through the program. He always made time for campouts and Scouting events. Conrad's sons Miles and William, and his grandson Thomas, all became Eagle Scouts.

Conrad is survived by his loving wife of over 70 years, Gail Huffstutler (Stewart), his brother Thomas Huffstutler (Jane), his children Katrina Stewart (Sean), Miles Huffstutler III (Celeste), and William Huffstutler (Sue), and grandchildren Katie Maki (Keith), Michael Huffstutler, Thomas Huffstutler, Kyle Martin, Ryan Martin, Miles Huffstutler IV, Gabrielle Huffstutler, and great-grandson Carter Maki.

A visitation and memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 10 AM (with visitation beginning at 9 AM) at the Beck Funeral Home, 1700 East Whitestone Boulevard in Cedar Park, Texas. The memorial service will also be live streamed through the Beck Funeral Home website (www.BeckChapels.com). Following the memorial service, burial will take place at Liberty Hill Cemetery.