Tom E. Linnenbrink

He was born on April 14, 1943 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he lived before moving with his family to Missouri. After college, he lived on the East Coast for a few years before moving to Chicago for more than a decade. In 1983, he moved to Colorado, living first in Monument and then Colorado Springs.

From his youth through retirement, Tom was an active outdoorsman. In college, he worked for many years as a camp counselor – his passion for the outdoors continued throughout his life. He loved skiing, hiking, biking, canoeing, and windsurfing (at least when he lived near a large enough body of water). His whole family has fond memories of their times together, hiking through the woods and trying very hard not to get lost, climbing up very tall mountains – where he often outpaced everyone, or gliding down the slopes. His active lifestyle continued indoors too – his grandchildren (and dogs) loved his willingness to get down on his hands and knees and play (even if the dogs were a little surprised to have a grown man play with them on the living room rug).

Tom was a voracious reader and avid music lover. In his youth, he played the trumpet. In adulthood, he enjoyed listening to classical and jazz music, frequently attending the symphony and other concerts. Every Saturday morning, he could be found listening to jazz on public radio. Tom also loved to travel and was fortunate to have frequent opportunities to travel around the world for work and pleasure. Throughout his life, Tom was active in the Presbyterian church, serving as a leader of several youth groups, church elder, and on numerous committees. He also served as a Stevens Minister, providing support and guidance for other church members who were experiencing a difficult time. His family and friends all remember him as a kind, caring and humble man.

Tom was an accomplished and respected electrical engineer. He conducted pioneering work on the development of high-speed devices for data acquisition/conversion resulting in 14 patents and more than 30 technical papers. Tom received his BSEE from the Illinois Institute of Technology and MSEE from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He founded two companies: Q-Dot in 1977 and Teqnovations in 2013. He made substantial contributions to the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society’s Waveform Generation, Measurement, and Analysis Committee, serving as chair from 1992 to 2013. He was named a fellow of IEEE and received several prestigious professional awards including the IEEE I&M Society Technical Award in 2008 and the IEEE Joseph F. Keithley Award in Instrumentation and Measurement in 2014. Those who knew Tom grew to appreciate his “little black book,” where he would record everything from important ideas for work to possible dates for the next ski trip to whatever he needed to pick up at the pharmacy. Ever the engineer, he insisted that his shirts have a front pocket for his notebook, pencil, and pens in several different colors so that he could carry these essential items with him at all times.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Sally (Bellina) Linnenbrink; sister and brother-in-law, Cathy and J.C. Meyer; his son and daughter-in-law Tom (A.) and Michele Linnenbrink; daughter and son-in-law Lisa (Linnenbrink) and Dave Garcia; grandchildren Alex Linnenbrink, Amanda Linnenbrink, and Marco Garcia; and stepson Cameron Schmidt (Shawn McVeigh Ragsdale). He was preceded in death by his mother, Florence (Becker) Linnenbrink, and father, Thomas A. Linnenbrink.

A private Celebration of Life is being planned at a later date at the Garden of the Gods Resort.

In Lieu of flowers please consider a donation to Care and Share Colorado Springs, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic or TheaterWorks in Colorado Springs.