Henry Karplus Obituary

Henry Karplus

Born: February 9, 1926

Died: June 24, 2020

Born Heinz Berthold Karplus in Berlin, Germany, to Sigmar Karplus and Rosa (née Anker) Karplus. Henry and his younger sister Hannah Elsa (Shamash) escaped Nazi Germany in 1939 on a Kindertransport train, arriving to safety in England. Henry completed his bachelor's degree at King's College London and master's degree at the Illinois Institute of Technology, both in physics. He married Jean Avril Clarke in Taunton, Somerset in 1951. The couple immigrated to the United States where Henry worked at IITRI-Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute (originally named Armour Research Foundation) and Argonne National Labs. His career as a research physicist and engineer focused on acoustics and ultrasonics, generating numerous patents. He was a member emeritus of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Acoustical Society of America, and SigmaXi. Henry lived with his wife Jean in Hinsdale, Illinois, where they raised their four children. Jean preceded him in death in 2005. Henry enjoyed swimming and bicycling, teaching water exercise and children's swimming at the Downers Grove YMCA and riding with the Elmhurst and Argonne bicycle clubs. He also volunteered behind the scenes at the Theatre of Western Springs and was a member of Congregation B'nai Israel in Maywood. He moved to Boulder, Colorado, in 2012.

Henry is survived by his children Lester Karplus (Karna Knapp) of Nederland, Colorado, Kevin Karplus (Michele Hart) of Santa Cruz, California, Wayne Karplus (Alicia Henry) of Bloomington, Illinois, and Nadine/Serene Karplus (Jim Disinger) of Nederland, Colorado, five grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren.