Obituary of Louis J. Esch Ph.D., Physicist

Louis J. Esch, a retired nuclear physicist, avid birder, perpetual tinkerer and devoted family man, has died after a long illness. He was 84. Lou died on March 4, 2017, at Glendale Nursing Home near his home of 58 years in Glenville. Born in 1932 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Lou was the son of the late Edward and Louise Schmidt Esch. He graduated from Catholic Central High School and Aquinas College in Grand Rapids and proudly served stateside in the U.S. Navy from 1951-1955. He married Marianne R. Toczydlowski of Grand Rapids on Feb. 9, 1952, and they recently celebrated their 65th anniversary together. Lou earned his doctorate in physics at RPI after he moved his young family to New York state in 1959 to accept a position with General Electric at the Knolls Atomic Power Lab, which was developing naval nuclear propulsion systems under contract with the U.S. Navy. He retired from KAPL in 1994 after 34 years as a physicist and computer programmer. He had a deep love of nature, spending much time afield identifying wildflowers, trees and fungi and observing wildlife. Both he and his wife were longtime members of the Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club. In addition to their own frequent excursions to prime spots for viewing raptors, warblers and waterfowl, Lou and Marianne enjoyed many happy days with fellow birders monitoring migrating hawks. Lou was curious and inventive, always finding ingenious ways to MacGyver everything from birdfeeder squirrel-repulsion setups to canoe transport rigs. He enjoyed camping, canoeing, and hiking in remote areas of the Adirondacks. He delighted in a range of music from classical to bluegrass, and was a talented artist with pen-and-ink, paintbrush and wood-carving tools. Lou was a longtime communicant of Immaculate Conception Church in Glenville, where he served as a eucharistic minister, lector, and volunteer in various church capacities. He was predeceased by his brothers, Edward and James Esch and Rev. Joseph Pettit; sisters, Roberta Centilla and Juanita Schindler; and son-in-law, David M. Jennings. In addition to his wife, Marianne, he is survived by his six children: Joseph (Connie) Esch, of Boulder, CO, Mary Esch of Glenville; Kathryn (Vincent) Picotte of Hillsborough, NC; Ruth (Thomas) Bushaw of Kennewick, WA; Elizabeth (Mark) Dale of Groveland, FL and Teresa Esch (husband Adam Taylor) of Reston, VA. He also leaves behind 20 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Wednesday, March 15, at 10 a.m. in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Saratoga Road, Glenville, with Rev. Jerry Gingras officiating. The mass will be followed by burial with full military honors at St. Anthony’s Cemetery, 27 Glenridge Road. Calling hours will be 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, at Glenville Funeral Home, 9 Glenridge Rd., Glenville. Contributions may be made in memory Louis J. Esch to St. Vincent de Paul Society, care of Immaculate Conception Church, 400 Saratoga Road, Glenville, NY 12302. Online condolences to the Esch Family found at GLENVILLEFUNERALHOME.COM.