Obituary of Klaus Gueldenpfennig
Klaus Gueldenpfennig
Penfield: Klaus Gueldenpfennig left this life peacefully on Friday, September 10, 2021 after a short stay at Rochester General Hospital. He is predeceased by his father, Otto, and his mother, Gerda (nee Astfalk) and is survived by his wife of 58 years, Brigitte, daughter Dinah Gueldenpfennig Weisberg and son-in-law, John Weisberg. He also leaves behind extended family, including his sister Doris Friedrich, her husband Lothar, their daughters Petra and Heike and their respective spouses and children, along with numerous cousins and friends.
Originally from Berlin, Germany, Klaus emigrated to the USA in 1965, coming to Rochester to join Stromberg Carlson in 1967. Ever the entrepreneur (before it even became a fashionable term) Klaus, along with Brigitte, founded REDCOM Laboratories in 1978. Still a local enterprise 43 years later, the Company is known globally for developing advanced strategic, operational, and tactical communications solutions for the commercial and governmental marketplace. Klaus was proud to have been succeeded ultimately in his role as President and CEO of REDCOM by Dinah in 2016/2017.
Well-known and respected in the telecommunications industry and the local community, Klaus has received numerous honors over the years. He has served as a Trustee at Rochester Institute of Technology since 1992 (Emeritus since 2006). The couple received the Distinguished Alumni Award for RIT’s College of Business in 1988 and the Herbert W. Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award in 1990. Other accolades include the 1992 Inventor of the Year Award from the Rochester Intellectual Property Law Association- of which he was particularly proud- and (again with Brigitte) the International Business Executive of the Year from the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce.
Calling hours will be held from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday, September 18, 2021, at Falvo Funeral Home, 1295 Fairport Nine Mile Point Road in Webster.
Burial will be at White Haven Memorial Park, 210 Marsh Road, Pittsford, NY 14534 on Monday, September 20, at 11:00AM, for Family and close friends.
A celebration of Klaus’ amazing life and career will occur at a later date.
The family would like to express their gratitude to the caring and wonderful team in Neurocritical Care at Rochester General Hospital. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Klaus’ honor to: Rochester Regional Health Foundations, 330 Monroe Avenue, Suite 400, Rochester, NY 14607 or Engineering and/or Saunders School of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology, University Advancement, PO Box 92765, Rochester, NY 14692-8865.