Charles V. "Jack" Jakowatz Jr. Dr.

Dr. Charles V. Jakowatz Jr. ("Jack"), devoted father, friend, and most adored husband, passed away peacefully at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, NM on February 7, 2015, with his family and close friends by his side. Jack was born on March 5, 1951 in Urbana, Illinois to Dr. and Mrs. Charles V. Jakowatz Sr. He spent his childhood in Schenectady, NY where he cherished playing baseball, basketball, and other activities with his neighborhood friends. His family moved to Kansas, where both of his parents were raised, as his father took a job as the Dean of the Engineering School at Wichita State University. Jack graduated from Southeast High School in Wichita, KS in 1969 where he excelled in math and science. Jack went on to receive his undergraduate degree in 1972, his Masters in 1973, and PhD in 1976 from Purdue University. All of his degrees were in Electrical Engineering. His doctorate work addressed some of the very early research of CAT scans using x-rays and ultrasound. He stayed in contact with many of his professors as well as his lifelong and beloved friends that he met at the Triangle Fraternity at Purdue. Jack met the love of his life, Carol Lohner, when he came home to Wichita for spring break in 1970. They married August 18, 1973 in Wichita, KS. Upon graduation from Purdue, Jack and Carol relocated to Albuquerque where Jack began a thirty-eight year long career at Sandia National Laboratories. He retired on October 2, 2014 after a most distinguished career. All of his work was related to radar signal processing, specifically synthetic aperture radar (SAR). His research was a significant contribution to both environmental monitoring and national security. He was a published author. Jack and his team held a US patent on a fundamental SAR processing tool. Jack and his colleagues received the R & D 100 award in 1990 for one of the 100 best technical innovations in the United States. He received the Ernest O. Lawrence Award in 1997, a rare honor. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2002. He also received two separate awards from his beloved alma mater, Purdue University. In 2002 he received the Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineering award, followed by the Distinguished Alumnus award in 2004. Jack was a tremendous athlete. He loved cycling, swimming, running, weight lifting, golf and racquetball. One of his proudest athletic accomplishments was running a marathon in 3:03 in 1983. His slogan was "anything worth doing is worth overdoing." Humor was a large part of Jack's life. He loved movies, and often made people laugh with his imitations and ability to quote movies. He had an infectious laugh that made others love to be around him. He never failed to express his gratitude to everyone he met in his life. He is survived by his wife, Carol Jakowatz; his daughters, Amy Jakowatz and Courtney Weaks; his sons-in-law, Jason Weaks and Gabe Helgerson; his sister and brother-in-law, Judy Lenard and Dr. Joseph Lenard; his mother, Roberta Jakowatz; his two dogs, Scout and Arthur and so many friends that loved him and were inspired not only by his huge intellect, but his huge heart. Services will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 14, 2015 at FRENCH - Lomas. In lieu of flowers and in honor of Jack's undying optimism and "never give up" spirit, we ask that you make contributions to the Jimmy Valvano Foundation (The V Foundation) at or memorials may be made to The Charles V. Jakowatz Memorial Fund at Purdue University. Gifts can be made via the web at donate.purdue.edu or checks, with The Jakowatz Fund in the memo line and payable to the Purdue Foundation, may be sent to: Purdue Foundation, 403 W. Wood St., West Lafayette, IN 47907. FRENCH - Lomas 10500 Lomas Blvd. NE (505) 275-3500