GEORGE DURFEY - A REMEMBRANCE: GEORGE DURFEY

George Kosser Durfey passed away quietly March 4, 2013 in Los Altos, CA, after a long struggle with Parkinson's Disease. He was 87.

George and Sigrid Kosser

He was born February 23, 1926 to Estonian (father) and Finnish (mother) immigrants in Brooklyn, New York. He rarely saw his father, who was a ship's carpenter and out at sea most of the time.

George joined the Durfey family when his mother, Sigrid, remarried in 1941 in Los Angeles.

He served in the Army in Germany in WWII. He began Army life as a paratrooper but broke his ankle in an early jump and was reassigned to the infantry. His primary job towards the end of the war was to find American GI burial sites in the European theater so soldiers could be returned to the US for proper burial.

He graduated in 1953 from Stanford University with a BSEE and spent most of his career working for SRI (Stanford Research Institute) in both electrical and mechanical research engineering at the radio physics lab. He was involved in the design of the landmark Stanford 150' "Big Dish" constructed in 1966 for a multitude of radio telescope, satellite tracking, atmospheric and scientific studies. He was, along with SRI employee, Mike Cousins, known as the "Fathers of the Dish".

His travels took him to the South Pacific on the motor yacht Acania during Cold War atomic testing experiments measuring radio propagation in a nuclear blast. He was also involved in setting up large dish installations in Peru, Scotland, Alaska and other remote locations.

He had a great interest in early radio and wireless and had quite a large early radio collection with many historic apparatus and a 6000 book library. Much of his collection is now in the hands of his collector colleagues and electronic museums, including the Perham Foundation collection at the San Jose Historical Museum.

He was a prolific photographer and he can be remembered with one or more cameras hanging around his neck. George was photographer for the California Historical Radio Society for many years.

George married Edith Franks in 1956 and they raised 3 sons and a daughter in Ladera, Portola Valley, CA.

He is survived by his wife Edith, sons Erik, Kirk (Vickie), Craig (Patricia); daughter Karen (Doug) Rusk; grandchildren Mark & Brian Durfey, Nicole & Danielle Rusk; brother William (Faye) & sister Ruth (Nick) Wilson; Chris (Velia) Franks; Susan & Jim Kocjan. nephews Jonathan & Joel Wilson, nieces Shari & Sharlene Durfey & Heather Wilson; great nieces Siena, Haven, Elisabeth & Alaina Wilson, Elison Godshall; cousins Bob (Ann) Durfey, John (Lois) Durfey, Mary (Rex) Dodson, Judy Durfey, Emily and Aaron Gascho, Dresden & Gavin Gascho, Dena, Becky, Ava, & Molly Durfey.

Here are some fun photos of George and family.