Klaus Jaeckel

Klaus Jaeckel

New Paltz - Though my soul may set in darkness,

it will rise in perfect light.

I have loved the stars too fondly,

to be fearful of the night.

- Galileo's epitaph



Klaus Hermann Jaeckel, age 78, New Paltz, NY, died Thursday, February 19, 2015, at home, surrounded by his family who were blessed to have him in their lives. Mr. Jaeckel is survived by his wife and best friend, Judith (Pallus) Jaeckel whom he married on June 17, 1981 in New Paltz; daughter, Jody Rossetti and her husband, Frank, of Schenectady, NY; daughter, Kati Jaeckel and her partner, Jason Delamarter, of Greenfield Park, NY; granddaughter, Lauren Rossetti; sister, Cynthia P. DuBois; brother, Thomas Pallus and his wife, Janice, of New Paltz, NY; nieces, nephews and cousins in Germany and the U.S. He was predeceased by a son, Jason Liucci.

Mr. Jaeckel was born November 3, 1936 in Berlin, Germany, the son of Kurt and Klara (Forster) Jaeckel. As a student in Germany, Klaus interned at Siemens for a intensive training program in their R&D laboratories. He then received an electrical engineering degree from the Ingenieurschule Beuth, Berlin before working at Westinghouse Cooper Hewitt in development and design. In May of 1961, Mr. Jaeckel came to the U.S. where he joined the IBM Corporation as a customer engineer. Shortly after, he was drafted and served a tour of duty in the United States Army and then rejoined IBM in their Component Development Laboratory. In 1971, Klaus, along with two other engineers, joined Dr. Raymond Auyang to form Tau Laboratories, developing photomask blanks for the semiconductor industry. Tau Labs went on to become a major supplier of photomasks worldwide. In 1986, the company was acquired by E.I. Du Pont de Nemours. Klaus continued with Du Pont, leading the company to ISO 9000 worldwide standards certification before choosing to retire early in 1998 to home school his youngest daughter, Kati.

As a young child in war-torn Germany, Klaus experienced hardship and deprivation as so many did. When the war ended, the city of Berlin was divided and he and his parents were separated from family and friends. In later years, Klaus found himself fortunate to have an aunt living in Brooklyn, NY, who sponsored his immigration to America just before the rise of the Berlin wall. He sailed into New York Harbor on May 13, 1961, a 24 year old young man straining to catch a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty; thus began his new life in the United States.

While living in the Mid-Hudson Valley, Mr. Jaeckel donated countless hours of service to various non-profit organizations. One of Klaus's fond memories of being a young man was how he and other students were afforded the opportunity to attend school sponsored trips to the opera. This was the genesis of his love affair with music. He would later become involved in the production of many operatic performances and events for the Hudson Valley Opera,Inc. and support their mission to introduce children to the beauty of live music. For numerous years he also helped organize Street Festivals for the Huguenot Historical Society, volunteered to help maintain the gardens at the New York State Senate House in Kingston, New York and served as a member of the Mid-Hudson Astronomy Association, the American Society of Engineers and the Mountain Laurel Waldorf School Board of Trustees. Klaus donated his time and expertise to install and maintain the Mountain Laurel computer system in addition to lending financial management support to the school. He was also always available to carry the students' instruments back and forth to be serviced and repaired. Despite a severe heart condition, Klaus performed all these labors of love quietly and with joy, while maintaining a busy career and family life.

Klaus found joie de vivre in all of the beauty that the world had to offer him. Some of his many hobbies and interests included rowing, astronomy, downhill skiing, and photography. He also enjoyed water color painting at the Arteum in Ghent, NY, under the mentorship of his friend, Hans Schumm. Klaus will be remembered for his appreciation of life, his loving and loyal relationships with family and friends, his open-hearted, kind nature, and his intelligence and quick wit. His life spanned many historical intensities yet through it all, Klaus Jaeckel remained a loving man; a gentle soul with a powerful mind and heart.

In Klaus Jaeckel's memory, donations may be made to the Student Music Program @ Mountain Laurel Waldorf School, 16 South Chestnut Street, New Paltz, NY 12561 -mountainlaurel.org

or Spikenard Farms Honeybee Sanctuary at info@spikenardfarms.org.