Arthur Hamburgen

Arthur (Art) Hamburgen, 92, passed away at his home the morning of Wednesday January 18, 2017 after a long and valiant battle with Parkinsons Disease. Arthur Hamburgen was born June 8, 1924 to Siegfried and Maria (Roth) Hamburger in Frankfurt, Germany. Arts father was the successful and prosperous owner of a leather goods factory, and Arts early years were quite comfortable. Things changed dramatically for the Hamburger family when Adolf Hitler came to power. Siegfried had been thrice wounded and decorated for his service to his country in the Great War, but he did not support the Nazi regime and life in Germany became untenable. In early 1939, they fled to England where the family was separated, with Art moving to a farm in the country where he was employed as a farmhand. Art and his family were ultimately reunited and moved to America, where they resettled in New York City. Art excelled in high school and won a full scholarship to attend Oberlin College in Ohio. Upon turning 18, he enlisted in the US Army, but he was able to attend over a year at Oberlin before the Army finally inducted him. He joined the infantry, and was deployed overseas where he later served in the Signal Corp and eventually in Counterintelligence, rising rapidly through the ranks to captain by the time he was discharged. He served in the Army Reserve for many more years, ultimately achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel. Art remained very proud of his military service, and one of his requests shortly after he entered hospice care was that he would be visited by a veteran on a weekly basis. He met his wife, Lydia Riis in Germany shortly after the end of the war, where she was working in the USO library as a refugee from Estonia. He changed his last name to Hamburgen, to be easier on his kids,before theymarried in New York City in July, 1947. Arthur received his B.S. in electrical engineering from Syracuse University in 1949 and was hired by I.B.M., where he remained his entire career. The Hamburgen family initially resided in Endicott, N.Y. After three years in Massachusetts where Art was enrolled at M.I.T. in the doctoral program in electrical engineering, the family finally settled in Rochester, Minnesota in 1964. Art loved working as an engineering manager at I.B.M.; indeed, most of his long term friends were met there. One of his other passions throughout his adult life was tennis, and he loved playing doubles until well into his 70s. He also enjoyed participating in road rallies with his oldest son Bill, watching the Vikings play football with his other son Tom, having a beer with friends, and taking long drives with his cherished 1972 Volvo 164 E on country roads in Wisconsin. Arthur generally spent a good part of the day each Sunday at the dining room table working on his stocks, and greatly enjoyed stock market trading right up until the end of his life. He was an active member, along with his wife Lydia, of the Rochester International Association, and the I.B.M. Retirement Club. Surviving are his two sons, Bill (Sue Brown) of Palo Alto, California, Tom (Shaun) of Missoula, Montana, six grandchildren, and one great grandson. He was preceded in death by his brother and sister, his wife, and his daughter, Mary. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday January 31, 2017 at 10 am at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home 5421 Royal Place NW Rochester MN. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service Tuesday from 9:00 to 10:00 am at Ranfranz and Vine. Burial will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN. at 2:00 p.m. Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home 5421 Royal Place NW Rochester, MN 55901 www.ranfranzandvinefh.com