Edwin Story Oxner

March 28, 1928 – December 26, 2020

On December 26, 2020, Edwin Story Oxner of Georgetown, TX, died peacefully while recovering from major surgery. He was 92 years old.

Born in Chicago, IL, and raised in Essex, MA, Edwin S. Oxner, “Ed”, married his wife, Carol A. Oxner, of Dayton, OH, in 1950 and reared 4 children while living in various parts of the U.S. including Dayton, Chicago IL, Tucson AZ, Scotch Plains NJ, San Jose CA, and, since 1993, the greater Austin area of TX.

Ed received a B.S. degree (1948) with a double-major in electrical and radio engineering from Tri-State University (now Trine University) in Angola, IN. He also received a diploma in Biblical Studies in 1959 from The Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL with an emphasis on Hebrew and Sumerian languages.

For most of his professional career, Ed served in various roles as a staff engineer in the applications engineering departments of several commercial semiconductor manufacturing firms, including Fairchild, Inc. and Siliconix, Inc. Ed held multiple technical patents across his career as a semiconductor applications engineer.

He was the author of Power FETs and Their Applications (Marcel, 1985) along with several other power semiconductor textbooks, and was a contributing author to the Encyclopedia of Science and Technology Yearbook 1979. A noted authority on FET applications, Ed lectured widely and published over 60 technical articles in trade journals throughout the U.S. and abroad. He was a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and for several years served as Secretary of the IEEE Industrial Applications Society Power Semiconductor Committee.

Away from his semiconductor engineering contributions and related career focus, Ed enjoyed several unique hobbies over his lifetime, especially as a licensed amateur or “ham” radio operator. He also pursued amateur photography as well as evangelical biblical and theological studies. He and his wife, Carol, enjoyed faithfully attending their church and supporting local and foreign missionary groups. With children, family, and close friends, they also regularly enjoyed nature and the great outdoors, especially hiking and camping while visiting many U.S National Parks.

A gentle and loving son, husband and father, Edwin is preceded in death by his parents, Edwin K. Oxner and Sarah E. Oxner (Otis) of Rome, New York and his wife, Carol A. Oxner (Rothenberg), and is survived by his four children, Cynthia Peck of Dillon, MT; Sheila Johnston of Georgetown, TX; Todd Oxner of Greensboro, NC and Peter Oxner of Madison, NJ. He leaves behind a legacy of 18 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.

A private graveside service for family members and close friends will be held January 3, 2020 at the Live Oak Cemetery in Manchaca, TX.