Eric Theodore Carlen

Eric Theodore (Ted) Carlen, 79, of Roanoke, passed away Tuesday, July 10, 2012, at Roanoke Memorial Hospital with his family at his side. Above all, Ted loved his large family. Ted was born September 5, 1932, in Orange, N.J. to Eric Emanuel and Edna Victoria Carlen. He was preceded in death by his parents; his mother-in-law, Helen P. Brumfield; four brothers-in-law, Hans-Jurgen Henning, Edgar W. Smith, Kenneth Sutphin and C. Vaughn Porter; and two sisters-in-law, Doris B. Ripley and Joan H. Brumfield. Ted is survived by his wife of 16 years, Shirley B. Carlen; a son and daughter-in-law, Eric A. and Sao C. of Princeton, N.J.; a daughter and son-in-law, Sigrid and Douglas Veasey, of Philadelphia; a daughter, Elise Robison, of Roanoke; a son and daughter-in-law, Conrad R. and Hildur of Burlingame, Calif.; two stepdaughters, Julie B. Davis (Marcus), of Roanoke and Karen B. Worrell (Michael), of Roanoke; three sisters, Lillian Henning, of Nantucket, Mass., Shirley Smith, of Cromwell, Conn., and Betty Ann and Doug Campbell, of Norwich, Vt.; seven grandchildren, Carlen, Campbell and Wylie Veasey, of Philadelphia, Pa., William Theodore and Anna Robison, of Roanoke, and Tekla and Astrid Carlen, of Burlingame, Calif. He has five stepgrandchildren, Matt Davis, of Richmond, Ryan Davis, of Roanoke, and Dale, Amanda, and Victoria Worrell of Roanoke, along with two nieces and six nephews. He is also survived by four sisters-in-law, Peggy B. Porter, of Roanoke, Mary B. Sutphin, of Salem, Brenda B. Holloman (Andy), of Savannah, Ga., Linda B. Gould (Jeff), of St. Marys, Ga.; and three brothers-in-law, Thomas L. Brumfield Jr. (Donna), of Largo, Fla., James R. Brumfield (Betsy), of Rocky Mount, and Richard E. Brumfield (Lisa), of Belleair, Fla. Ted derived tremendous pleasure from listening to and encouraging his children, who have succeeded and made him proud. His grandchildren and stepgrandchildren were the light of his life, and he loved every minute that he could share with them.
Ted's mother and father each immigrated to the USA in the early 1900's and then met and married in New Jersey. Ted was extremely proud of his Swedish heritage but also understood all America has to offer. Ted made sure that his children and grandchildren appreciated the joys of Swedish holidays, and could all make many Swedish meals and desserts. At the same time, Ted serves as an amazing example of the American dream that his parents came to the United States to find. Understanding his fortune, Ted always studied hard and worked industriously. Ted was a graduate of the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Science and a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute with a Masters of Science. He was a control systems engineer at the General Electric Company in Salem, VA. from 1959 until 1969. In 1964, he engineered the lighting for the GE Pavilion at the third major World's Fair in New York City. He was a founder and president of Nord Instruments Company from 1969 to 1978. There he led the development of some of the first digital control systems for steel mills and forging presses. He was a founder and president of Carlen Controls, Inc. since its inception in 1978. His innovative work has resulted in a number of patents, with the last one issued to him at the age of 78. Ted was an internationally recognized developer of feedback devices for measurement.
The family will receive visitors at Oakey's South on Saturday, July 14, from 6 to 8 p.m. Private interment will be at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Statue Of Liberty, Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., P. O. Box 5202, New York, NY 10275-1200; Rescue Mission and The American Red Cross.