Dwight B Raddatz

Dwight B. Raddatz of Plano, Illinois died peacefully at home at the age of 80 on November 20, 2014. He was born on October 31, 1934 in Utica Minnesota, as an only child to Herbert and Myrtle Raddatz. He grew up in rural Minnesota, often helping his dad as a carpenter, especially on his relatives’ farms. Dwight entered the military and was stationed in Austria, where he met his wife, Gabriele, in Germany, against the backdrop of World War II. They connected instantly at first sight, although she was chagrined to learn he was an American, and she didn’t see how it could work out. However, Dwight persisted, and their love developed into a beautiful marriage of almost 59 years. After leaving the military, he earned several degrees including mechanical engineering and a PhD in electrical engineering. He was a licensed professional engineer. He worked for 26 years for Ball Corporation and earned around seventy patents, in diverse fields ranging from mechanical systems to satellite communications. He and his family were transferred to Holland for Ball where he helped design a new glass plant. He also worked on technology utilized on the Patriot Missile systems and the Hubble Telescope. He was particularly pleased to have collaborated on early efforts to design personal computers in the 1970’s. One of the more memorable projects he worked on was the process for manufacturing the Pringles Potato Chip can. At a design meeting, it was commented on that Dwight resembled the Pringle mascot, so he was often affectionately referred to as “Mr. Pringle”. He was an avid ham radio operator, communicating regularly with ham friends all over the world long before the internet age. He was interested in technology for instant messaging on the computer prior to text messaging, and home video call technology before Skype or Facetime. Dwight was an outdoor and animal enthusiast, and a travel enthusiast. Family vacations were spent out west for weeks at a time. He and Gabi moved to the San Juan Mountains of Colorado for six years upon retirement. Even in retirement he was called upon by Ball Corp. as a consultant to work on invention ideas they were developing for nearly two decades. He was very generous to many people and causes. In the last week of his life, he made a trip to the local animal shelter to donate some cat food. He is survived by his loving wife Gabriele, five children Thomas (Doloros Novak), Claudia, Roland (Ruth Simanskis), Pamela (William) Joerger, and Claus (Jennifer Memmel), and was predeceased by his daughter Gloria (Jack) Kline. Grandchildren include Francesca and Michael Raddatz; Nina Henry, Richard, and David Kline; Carissa, Melissa (David) Guzzo, and Heather Raddatz; Matthew Kirchens, Janette and Andrew Joerger; Katja, Alex, Ryan, and Deirdre Raddatz. He was also predeceased by granddaughter Sarah Joerger. He was blessed to meet five great grandchildren, Kayla and Charles Henry; David and Madeline Guzzo; and Alayna Kline. He also leaves behind his constant companions, his cats Liesl and Katie. Services will be held Tuesday, November 25 at Independent Baptist Church in Bolingbrook, IL. The wake will be from 10-11:30, with the funeral beginning at 11:30. He will be laid to rest in Utica, Minnesota.