Charles James Schmidt

CHARLES J. SCHMIDT, on December 20, 2016, at age 92. Survived by his adoring wife of 68 years, Victoria D. Schmidt [Gerbasi] of River Vale, NJ; son Thomas Schmidt and wife Naomi of Woodstock, NY; daughter Susan Tobey and husband James Tobey of East Moriches, NY; grandson Brian Tobey and wife Alexis of Perryville, MD., and great grandson Benjamin James Walter Tobey. Charlie is also survived by siblings, Florence Pavero and Robert Schmidt, and numerous nieces, nephews and their children and grandchildren. Charlie grew up in West New York, NJ and graduated from Memorial High School in 1942. His matriculation into Newark College of Engineering [NCE] as an EE student was interrupted by the nation’s call to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps in November of ‘42. Upon his honorable discharge in February of 1946, Charlie resumed his studies at NCE and proudly graduated in 1949 after earning a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering. Charlie began his professional career with the Magnetic Instrument Company and taught at the New York Technical Institute for two years prior to joining the W.L. Maxson Company, in Manhattan in 1951. At Maxson, Charlie rose through the ranks to become its Director of Research and Development in 1962. After a move to Islip, Long Island, the company was sold and Charlie was hired by the Grumman Aerospace Corporation in 1965. There he served as Section head on various programs including one that supplied radar antennae to the Grumman Lunar Module used by the Apollo Astronauts. Charlie retired from Grumman in 1984 and joined a colleague from Maxson in forming a start up company known as Broadcom, Inc., of Mahwah, NJ At Broadcom, Charlie co-invented a system patented in January of 1991 that bounced messages off tiny meteor trails so as to provide long-distance mobile communications systems for trucks, trains and people working in remote areas. This patent was the fourth that Charlie secured during his professional career. Charlie loved his unfinished cabin on Halsey Island in Lake Hopatcong, NJ, his condo in Fort Lauderdale, FL and the house he built in Woodstock in 1988. He also loved traveling abroad and to the Carribean islands with his wonderful wife Vicki and building go-karts, hovercraft and other engineering marvels with his grandson Brian. Charlie was an avid reader who enjoyed boating and fishing on the Great South Bay and off the ocean at Montauk, Long Island, as well as opera and other forms of classical music. Charlie most enjoyed sharing his time and life experiences with his loving family and his many long time friends. A memorial service will be held at Becker Funeral Home, 219 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood NJ 07675 on Saturday, January 7, 2017 from 11:00AM- 1:00PM.