LEE STAUDACHER obituary

CHESTER - Lee Ray Staudacher, 59, died Monday, Nov. 8, 2004, at his home in Boise, Idaho, of natural causes.

A funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Chester. Cremation will follow, and his ashes will be buried in the family plot at the Chester Cemetery.

Lee was born on July 22, 1945, at Chester to George and Victoria (Anderson) Staudacher. He grew up in Chester and received his education there. He graduated from Chester High School in 1964. He continued his schooling at Spokane Community College, where he earned an electronic engineering degree in 1968. Soon after graduation he was offered a position in the computer division of the Hewlett-Packard Company in Palo Alto, Calif.

Lee worked on some of Hewlett-Packard's first computers, specifically the "211-A" computer, which contained 4K bytes of memory and weighed 300 pounds, and the HP35 calculator. Lee worked with Steve Wozniak, who later left Hewlett-Packard and co-founded the Apple Computer Co. Lee set up one of H.P.'s first environmental failure analyses labs in California and later at Corvallis, Ore.

Lee lived in the San Francisco Bay area until 1993, when he transferred to Boise, Idaho. He continued to work for H.P. in their Dise Memory Division in Boise as a manufacturing development engineer.

Lee was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma about 25 years ago. He survived the disease, but the strong radiation treatments took a toll on him. In the early 1990s, he suffered a serious heart ailment, which required bypass surgery. Lee decided to retire about five years ago when his health began to deteriorate. He continued to live in Boise during his retirement years.

Lee married Patricia Gillespie in January of 1996. She developed a serious illness a few years ago, and she went to live with her family. The marriage eventually ended in divorce.

Lee developed a severe cold with early pneumonia recently, which complicated his already weakened condition.

Lee was baptized and confirmed at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Chester. He continued to be active in the Lutheran faith throughout his life.

He enjoyed camping, boating, square dancing and yardwork. He collected stamps, old coins and other memorabilia. He loved automobiles and owned two restored classics: a 1928 Durant and a 1936 Buick. Lee was always meticulous in the maintenance of his cars and his home.

Lee will be remembered as a quiet, kind and generous man. He loved his mother dearly and called her faithfully.

Lee was preceded in death by his father in 1962.

Survivors include his mother, Vic Staudacher of Chester; brother, Ed (Harriette) Staudacher of Grass Valley, Calif.; nieces, Georgia and Helen; nephew, John; two grandnephews; aunt, Lilly Oraw of Chester; numerous cousins; and his pet cat, "Kitty."

Arrangements by Rockman Funeral Chapel, Chester. Memorials can be given to Our Savior's Lutheran Church or the cancer society.