Theodore H. Reuter

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars."     -  Norman Vincent Peale

Theodore Herman Reuter passed away peacefully on March 17^th at age 91. He was the loving son of the late Herman William and Mae (Healy) Reuter and dear brother of Stewart. He was the beloved husband of the late Camille and the devoted father of Kenneth Theodore, Laura Mary (Edward Hellman), and Douglas William (Debra). He was a proud grandfather to Kara (DeAndre) Jenkins, Gina (David) Vogler, Elise (Jeffrey) Bolling, Daniel (Erin) Hellman, Natalie Hellman, Amanda Reuter, and Spencer (Abigaile) Reuter. He was blessed to meet his greatgrandchildren Layla, Aaliyah, Jacob, Chloe, Elliott, and Elenore.   

Ted was born in Manhattan and attended the Bronx High School of Science where he ran track. He went on to graduate with a dual degree in Industrial Engineering and Liberal Arts from Columbia University. He fenced sabre during college and was inducted into the Columbia Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the 1954 NCAA championship fencing team. The dashing swordsman met a brilliant pianist at a college dance. Ted and Cam began 63 years of marriage in 1955 and together they raised three children. When there were times of emotional struggle, Ted always stood by his family and put them first. 

Ted had a long career in industrial and quality engineering. He spent the first decade out of college working for Westinghouse where he rose to become a superintendent of Quality Control. He then took a position with Kearfott as a quality manager of a test program intended for use on a Polaris missile conducted at Cape Canaveral. This started a lifelong interest in aerospace technology. He then became a manager at their New Jersey office and the family moved to Ridgewood from 1966 to 1974. After that, he spent many years as a director of research and development for Wilson Sporting Goods moving to Glen Ellyn, Illinois. The last years of his career were spent with Montgomery Ward and Spiegel in quality assurance for their hardlines. He retired to Wheaton, Illinois where he lived until Camille passed in 2019. He spent the last years of his life in Carmel, Indiana. 

Ted was always an athlete and enjoyed fencing, tennis, swimming, and racquetball. His grandchildren gave him the nickname of “Science” for his love of engineering and technology. However, Ted truly embraced his “liberal arts” side as well. He was an avid reader, was known for his inlaid woodworking, and after retirement he created many beautiful stained glass windows. He was a lover of a wide variety of music including Beethoven, Simon and Garfunkel, Irish folk music, and opera. He loved fishing with his sons on Lake Geneva and enjoyed his daily beer or scotch. In his final years he was known for growing delicious tomatoes and enjoyed watching sporting events, particularly football and Formula One racing.  He was intelligent, humorous, kind, and gentle, with a smile for all. 

The family would like to extend special thanks to his dear friend Patricia Clark. We are truly grateful to Patricia Browning, Nurse Practitioner, all the wonderful staff of Rose Senior Living in Carmel, and the Paradigm Hospice team for their compassionate care. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Samaritan Fund at The Cabin Counseling & Resource Center, Inc. | Kindful