Theodore "Ted" Willke

Theodore "Ted" Willke

Dec. 27, 1944 - June 17, 2023

SEWICKLEY, Pennsylvania - Theodore "Ted" Willke passed away Saturday after a short hospitalization in Pittsburgh, PA.

Ted was a man of deep faith and integrity. He had a lifelong thirst for knowledge and loved to share what he learned by teaching, mentoring and leading others. He was a beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, and a respected veteran, pilot, engineer, public servant, and executive. Ted was an exceptional human in so many ways and will be sorely missed by his family and friends.

Ted was born December 27, 1944, in Indianapolis, IN. He spent his childhood and teenage years in Bloomington, IL, where he grew up on a farm. As a teenager, he took a strong interest in flying, building a hovercraft that won the Illinois state science fair his senior year of high school.

His passion for flying led him to the United States Air Force Academy where he graduated in 1967 with honors in aerospace engineering. After graduating, he took an Air Force fellowship to earn a master's degree in nuclear engineering from MIT studying laser fusion. He reported to the Air Force Aeronautical Research Laboratory at Wright Patterson AFB in 1968, working directly under German physicist Hans von Ohain and writing the code that would rotate the Saturn V rocket in its launch trajectory while earning his MBA at nearby University of Dayton.

His experience at Wright-Patterson fueled his desire to become a leader in engineering research, focused on energy topics. After receiving his doctorate in Systems Engineering from Ohio State in 1974, he launched his career as a research engineer and manager, first at the Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, OH, and later at the Battelle-managed Pacific Northwest Laboratory in Richland, WA.

In 1982, he joined the Gas Research Institute (GRI) in Chicago as a director, eventually rising to vice president of pipeline and distribution systems. In 1997, he came to Pittsburgh to be the director of the Carnegie Mellon Research Institute (CMRI), which provided technology solutions for government and industry. He was also a professor in the Heinz School of Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University.

After leaving CMRI, he served as head of two transportation safety agencies, the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety and the Office of Pipeline Safety, as a career senior executive during the Bush and Obama Administrations.

He lived with type 1 diabetes (T1D) for nearly 50 years. He was a participant in the first large-scale clinical trial of insulin infusion pumps in 1982. Throughout his life he advocated for technologies and cures for T1D, creating Pumpers, the first newsletter dedicated to users of the pump, and working locally and nationally with the JDRF, formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

He was active in the Pittsburgh community. He was a graduate of Leadership Pittsburgh. He served as chairman of the Pittsburgh International Science and Technology Festival. He led the Technology Committee for Jim Roddey during his transition as Allegheny County Executive.

In his free time, Ted was an avid builder of radio-controlled and vintage aircraft. He was one of the first pilots certified to fly in the U.S. with type 1 diabetes. He also studied ham radio communications and built Tiffany-style lamps.

He is survived by his wife, Sue Willke; and their three sons: Theodore II (Cindi), Chad (Kelly), and Bradford (Tara); and their three grandchildren: Jake, Lydia, and Bella. He also leaves behind his brother, Ron Willke (Linda, Barb, and Eric); and sister, Jeanette Vyduna (Jim, Jeff, and Joel); and cousins.

Family will invite friends and family on Friday, June 23, 2023, from 2:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Schellhaas & Sons Funeral Home, 1600 Stone Mansion Drive, Sewickley, PA, 15143 (Franklin Park/Wexford). Service will be held Saturday June 24, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. in Ingomar United Methodist Church (1501 W Ingomar Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237).

In lieu of flowers, family suggests donations to Ingomar United Methodist Church 1501 W Ingomar Rd, Pittsburgh, PA, 15237; or P.E.O. Chapter BW, c/o Shelley Byers 96 Saybrook Harbor Bradford Woods PA, 15015; or United States Air Force Academy Foundation - Class of 67' 50th Reunion Project Fund USAFA Endowment 3116 Academy Drive, Suite 200 USAFA, Colorado, 80840.