Gustafson, Darryl E. (1935-2017)

GUSTAFSON, HAMEED, PERRY, LEONARD, NORDINE, EISENTRAGER

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 7/4/2017 at 14:14:28

Darryl E. Gustafson
June 17, 1935 - April 28, 2017

After bravely battling Parkinson’s Disease, Darryl Emmanuel Gustafson passed into eternity on April 28, 2017, in Arcadia, California, with his dear family by his side.

Darryl was born on a farm in northwest Iowa in 1935. When he was 10, his family moved to a nearby small town, Albert City. His early work experience included summer jobs operating automatic screw machines at a local grease gun factory. After completing high school, he didn’t have a tough decision to reject a career at the factory. Instead. he left to attend North Park College in Chicago, ultimately graduating from Northwestern University with a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1958.

Darryl developed an interest in optics and especially in the new use of computers in optical design. He began designing lenses for defense and aerospace applications including for the Surveyor project – the first soft landing on the moon. In January of 1965, he moved from Chicago to Southern California, joining former colleague Tom Harris as a partner in the startup Optical Research Associates. Together, Tom and Darryl grew ORA to almost 100 employees in multiple offices as the company provided custom optical design services to government and industry for a wide variety of applications and developed two computer programs to design optical systems.

His work ethic pervaded his daily life as well. A hard worker with a broad base of skills, he needed a lot of convincing to get him finally to give up getting under the car to change the oil himself, let others install sprinkler systems in his yard, repair broken pipes, and so on.

A patient and soft-spoken husband and father to seven children and a second-“father” to other family members and friends, Darryl earned the respect of his co-workers as well. He loved singing in the choir at the Lake Avenue Church, traveling the world with his wife, spending time with his children and grandchildren, renewing relationships with old friends, following the stock market, and playing golf (or as he put it, “trying to”).

Darryl was dearly loved and will be sorely missed by many including the family members who survive him: Clarita Gustafson, his wife of almost forty years; his children: Miriam Hameed, Sarah Perry, Robert Gustafson (wife, Jennifer), Tara Leonard (husband, Doug), and Mark Gustafson (wife, Luann); his sisters, Betty Nordine and Dorene Eisentrager; and his many grandchildren, extended family members, and friends. Darryl’s sons, Paul and Aaron Gustafson, were waiting to welcome him into heaven.

Services will be held on May 12, at 4:00 p.m., at the Lake Avenue Church, in Pasadena, California.

Buena Vista Obituaries maintained by LaVern Velau.
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