Edwin Skip Alvin Erlbacher II

Edwin Alvin “Skip” Erlbacher II, 57, died at his home in Dallas, TX, February 11, 2015. He battled cancer for 3 ½ years with the same extraordinary strength, character and determination that he lived his life. He always had a positive attitude and never a complaint, even through experimental drug trials and countless trips to MD Anderson. Skip was born in Sikeston, Missouri to Martha and Jerry Erlbacher. At an early age, it was clear that Skip was a unique individual and placed a high value on family. At age 21, knowing only the name of the town, he set off to find his roots in Austria. This adventure led to a lifelong relationship with his Austrian relatives including many summer vacations together. In 1984 he married his college sweetheart, Susan Brandt, and together they began their life in Dallas, TX. Never quite finding the perfect house, they decided to design and build their own southern-style home and start a family. They found land in trendy East Dallas and began work on the design. After 2 years of hard work, with Skip finishing almost the entire inside himself, their dream home was complete. Skip received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Memphis in 1982. He later went on to complete his Masters and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Arlington in 1992. As the basis of his PhD dissertation, Skip designed a pneumatic active adjustable force control tool that he later patented. This was the beginning of PushCorp, Inc., a company he founded, with Lester Godwin, Chris Hollas and Ben Hodge in March 1993. There he served as President and Lead Mechanical Engineer in the design and development of all the company's products. Throughout his career he continued with many new accomplishments including another patent, which is currently pending and the Defense Manufacturing Technology Achievement Award from the US Department of Defense. He was always there for his family from dance recitals, to homemade SpongeBob costumes, to minibikes in the backyard. He was our rock and will be forever missed. Skip is survived by his wife of 30 years, Susan, daughter Eva and son Eddie. His parents, Jerry and Martha Erlbacher, brother Joe and wife Lorri, nephew Hans and niece Ashley from Cape Girardeau, MO. Special thanks to Dr. Eric Jonasch at MD Anderson. A visitation will be held February 21, 2015 from 2pm until 4pm at Sparkman/Crane.10501 Garland Road, Dallas, TX 75218. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to: MD Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486 Houston, TX 77210. Make sure to include that it is in memory of Edwin Erlbacher.