Theodore Ted Carl Otto Schirmer Jr.

Theodore Carl Otto Schirmer Jr. was born on August 4, 1939 to father Theodore Carl Otto Schirmer and mother Ellen Marie Tripp. Ted spoke fondly of his childhood on a farm in Texas. He missed his brothers and sister very much and wanted to visit more often than he was able to. In a recent conversation, he shared his devastation of the loss of his father when he was only 13, and how he thought of him every day. He encouraged his children with lessons and memories of his mother and the great teacher she was. He also spoke warmly of his aunts and uncles who were also very close.

Ted married Susan Moran on February 1, 1970. They have three children: Teddy, Robby, and Jamie. His children remember trips to the beach, bathtub snacks including melted cheese sandwiches, cinnamon toast fingers, fresh tropical fruit, and Hot Dog pennies. There was also the occasional, but very special ‘Lowely Worm Party’ when he had to take care of the kids all by himself when Susan was away. These Lowely Worm parties involved all of the snacks previously mentioned and just about any other comfort food snacks anyone could think of. He would never just throw these snacks on a plate either; he would instead present the snacks very artistically—in the form of towers, stacks, shapes, and various geometric designs.

His grandchildren remember trips to the library, silly games of Connect Four, learning foreign languages, math for fun, and of course enjoyed of the fun snack plates. He took care of his family. He took care of everything he possibly could. He made sure not to worry anyone with anything. He was very sweet to his wife and best friend Susan. And she fondly remembers years and years of love and laughter. He loved peanuts, peace and quiet. He loved comedy movies and always had a good joke to share. He was an avid reader of books, particularly science fiction, and visited the library every week. He also loved Math and learning new languages. He had a way of laughing that would warm up the room and make everyone feel happy.

He was very generous, putting others before himself. He even gave away his birthdays to his grandchildren. He was always the first one up, helping to get everyone started on their day. He retired as a Naval Commander for the US Navy. Then moved on to work at Hughes Aircraft and then Boeing where he worked till retiring at the age of 73.

He was a very loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. He will be greatly missed.