Auer Jr., John “Jack” Henry.

April 12, 2022, of Pittsford, NY. Beloved husband of the late Rosalyn (Rose) Auer. He is survived by his son David, daughter Carol (Gary) Kalustyan, grandchildren Kalie (Daniel) Curtis, Kimberly (Jordan) Patruskey, Kevin (Caitlin) Kalustyan, and his 5 great grandchildren Madison, Layla, Colten and Declan Patruskey, and Quinn Kalustyan. 

John Henry Auer, Jr. was born December 30, 1926, to John Henry Auer, Sr and Emma (Blattner) Auer.  He was the younger brother of Norma and to family and friends he was always known as Jack.  He graduated from Irondequoit High School, class of 1944. At that time World War II was still raging and upon graduation he followed the call to serve his country and immediately enlisted in the US. Army.  The war ended soon after, so he did not have to engage in combat, but he was always proud of his military service and patriotism.  Following the war, he enrolled in Union College and graduated in with a degree in electrical engineering.

 Upon graduating from college in January 1950, Jack was hired by General Railway Signal Company as an electrical engineer. He was promoted to senior engineer in 1956 and then to research engineer in 1960. In 1966 he was promoted again to senior advanced project engineer. From 1974 until he retired in 1989 he was Manager of Advanced Engineering, overseeing a staff of six research engineers. Jack’s career at GRS provided him with an opportunity to combine two of his favorite interests, electricity and railroad transportation. Jack authored many technical papers in the transportation field and many of his patents were in the field of highway traffic control and the control of guided transportation systems. He contributed to the development of systems for controlling rail vehicles rolling through freight classification yards. He was also part of a team of four engineers who designed the ultrasonic vehicle detector which was widely used for decades to sense vehicles entering intersections controlled with traffic lights. Through the course of his career, he had 87 traffic control patents to his name. In 1980 he was honored by the Rochester Patent Law Association as Inventor of the Year, an award given to recognize the contributions of outstanding inventors. Jack was also the subject of a 2-page ad in a major trade publication with a photo of him playing the organ on one full page and the headline on the facing page reading “IDEATION. JACK AUER PLAYS BACH FUGUES, FLIES DOWNHILL ON SKIS, AND HOLDS 87 TRAFFIC CONTROL PATENTS”. Jack was a well-respected and loyal employee, working at GRS his entire career. Upon retirement he was given a warm send off with a large book chronicling his history with the company.

Jack met the love of his life, Rose Corcoran, at a Sunday Night Club church meeting.  They both showed up for the meeting, started talking, and decided to go to Roseland Amusement Park to ride the roller coaster instead. They had a quick courtship and were married June 21, 1952. They never lost their love for each other or for roller coasters and kept up a tradition of riding the coaster at least once a year until the park shut down. Together they enjoyed skiing, camping, music, playing cards, singing in the church choir, and attending church regularly. In 1955 they had a son, David, and in 1959 they adopted a daughter, Carol. As a young family they bought their first home in Greece and then following several years of searching for the perfect wooded lot, their second home in Fairport. Jack worked in conjunction with the architects designing the floor plans of both homes. He also enjoyed doing some of the work himself, finishing a bedroom in the attic of the first home, and finishing a large family room and laundry room in the second. In addition to construction, he was also an expert “Mr. Fix -It”. He kept the family clothes dryer running for 45 years, and the toaster they received as a wedding gift is still going strong 70 years later. Jack and Rose shared their love of skiing and camping with their children and took the family on annual ski trips to Vermont and camping trips in the Adirondacks. It was a wonderful way to be together as a family, hiking, canoeing, playing games, singing around the campfire, sharing experiences. Shortly before Jack retired, they were able to realize one of their lifelong dreams and they bought a camp on Upper Saranac Lake. They would love to spend the entire summer up there in what they called their little piece of heaven. Jack also found another project to do at the camp by building himself a boat house and dock (with the help of some willing friends!).

Jack was an avid ham radio operator and continued with this hobby his whole life. He even received an award, the Worked-All-Continents award, from the International Amateur Radio Union for confirming contact with all six continents (excluding Antarctica) via ham radio. Even at the age of 95 he was busy practicing morse code.

Jack kept busy after his retirement. He volunteered at the local food pantry and was a volunteer driver for Elderberry Express, providing transportation for elderly and disabled individuals. He and Rose enjoyed going to classical music performances, theater shows and organ concerts. They also took many trips to Europe, usually with friends, travelling around by car and staying in small inns. They enjoyed meeting the local people and would often try to learn the language of the country they were visiting. Upon returning home, Jack would often put together a slide show presentation to show to their church group. Church was a very important part of their life and Jack sang in the choir and served on the music committee. Following Rose’s passing in 2015 he donated an electronic carillon to the First Baptist Church of Rochester in her name. 

 Family was very important to Jack. He encouraged his children to pursue their interests and supported them in getting a college education. David attended SUNY Potsdam, graduating with a degree in Music Education, and eventually moved to Pittsburgh. Carol attended Ithaca College, graduating with a degree in Physical Therapy. After graduation she married Gary Kalustyan and they settled in New Jersey. They had 3 children, Kalie, Kimberly and Kevin. Jack and Rose loved being grandparents and took many trips to New Jersey to visit. Even after Rose passed, Jack continued to make the trips to Pittsburgh and New Jersey to keep up his relationship with his family. He was also blessed to welcome 5 great grandchildren, Madison, Layla, Quinn, Colten and Declan.

Friends and family will remember Jack as a kind, compassionate, fun-loving man with a strong faith and an ever-present smile.

Calling Hours Friday April 22, 5-7PM at the Richard H. Keenan Funeral Home (Egypt Location) 7501 Pittsford Palmyra Road, Fairport. Funeral Service Saturday April 23, 11AM at First Baptist Church of Rochester 175 Allens Creek Road, Rochester.