Benjamin L. Hoy

Benjamin L. Hoy passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on the morning of October 24, 2022, at Zilber Family Hospice in Wauwatosa at the age of 86. The son of Benjamin C. and Lucy B. (Fischer) Hoy, Ben was born on November 14, 1935, in Milwaukee. Loving husband of his beloved and devoted wife of 63 years, Sandra (Mueller); dearest father of Anne Jedrzejczak, Milwaukee, and Claire (Carl) Gerlach of North Carolina; loving grandfather of Aleksander (Abigail) Jedrzejczak and Kirsten Gerlach; caring brother-in-law of Marlene (Alan) Paplham, as well as other relatives and friends.

Ben earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1958 at the University of Wisconsin- Madison where he discovered his great love for sailing small boats on Lake Mendota and later with his family on Lake Michigan. He had a great interest in black and white photography, developing and printing his photos.

Ben began working at Wisconsin Telephone Company, where he met Sandy, and he went on to the John Oster Company and AC/Delco Electronics where he designed, integrated, and tested the Self-Aligning Boost Re-entry (SABRE) System. He spent most of his career at Astronautics Corp. of America, designing instrumentation for military aircraft. In retirement, he volunteered his time cleaning and repairing listening devices used in the Talking Books for the Blind program with The Telephone Pioneers.

Ben proudly served his country during the Berlin Wall crisis as a member of the US Army National Guard.

Ben was a quiet and reflective man who enjoyed his family and friends, being in a boat on a lake or walking in parks and forests, classical music, cool jazz, and a good book.

“He was a good man.”

To honor Ben’s wishes, a private family service will be held.