Lawrence Minott Burrage

Lawrence Minott Burrage, age 86, was born to eternal life on August 9, 2012. Larry is survived by his wife, Ruth, and were well-known community members. Raised during the Great Depression, Larry entered the Army in February 1944, serving as a technical sergeant with the 256th Engineer Combat Battalion in the Rhineland and Central Europe . As a combat engineer, Larry both built and blew up bridges throughout the European theatre and was present at the liberation of a Nazi concentration camp in Germany . Following an honorable discharge, Lawrence enrolled at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in Troy , New York . He met his wife at a school dance and recently celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary this past July. Upon graduation from RPI with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, Larry and Ruth moved to South Milwaukee , Wisconsin , where he worked for the next 41 years for Line Material Company (now Cooper Industries). A notable inventor and Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Milwaukee Section, his work resulted in more than 30 patents on a variety of devices which make electrical power distribution equipment more efficient and safer, such as lightning arrestors, as well as a variety of high-voltage switchgear still used in power substations, including switches, insulators, surge suppressors, and capacitors. He contributed to the design of a transformerthe type used to connect homes to suburban high-voltage power linesthat will not explode even if it receives a direct lightning strike. In 1968, Larry was awarded a master's degree in plasma physics from Marquette University , earned while working full time and raising a family. A man who always put others before himself, among his many volunteer endeavors, Larry was a chaperone and sound recorder with the South Milwaukee Senior High School Band for more than 10 years. After retiring from Cooper Industries in 1992, Larry continued to consult part-time as a patent examiner and served as an expert witness in product liability trials. He was frequently chosen to judge at the annual Marquette University Science Fair. Larry held a pilot's license and flew until his children started college. More recently, Larry was able to indulge his lifelong love of sailing by joining the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center , where he served as a part-time sailing instructor and recreational skipper. Larry contributed innumerable volunteer hours to build and repair the S/V Denis Sullivan, and even donated the black walnut trim used to appoint the ship's library. Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Ruth; his children Margery (Steven) Tamas of Powder Springs, Georgia, David of Arlington Heights, Illinois , Paul (Terri) of Boca Raton , Florida , and Cathleen Skelton of Boca Raton , Florida ; and his 8 grandchildren. The family will receive friends Monday, August 13 from 4 8 p.m., followed by a memorial service at 8:00 p.m. at Max A. Sass and Sons Funeral Home, 8910 W. Drexel Avenue , Franklin , Wisconsin , 53132 , 414-427-0707. Online condolences may be expressed at www.maxsass.com. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Larry's name to the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center or The American Cancer Society.