Harry Tilghman Ochs III, 77, of Savoy died Tuesday (Jan. 12, 2021) at Accolade Healthcare Senior Living, Paxton.
He was born Feb. 6, 1943, in New Orleans, where his father was working during WWII. He was the son of Harry Tilghman Ochs Jr. and Janice Hartzell (Moyer) Ochs. Although most of his ancestors lived in the Lehigh Valley, Pa., area since the early 1700s, he was raised in Newton, Mass. He received an electrical engineering degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Mass., in May 1965; E.E. and M.S. degrees in May 1967 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in May 1971. Harry’s entire career was as a research scientist at the Illinois State Water Survey, 1970-2002. He was a member of the American Meteorological Society. He continued his research in cloud physics and precipitation at the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois, 2003-2005. He helped organize the major Research Field Project in Antigua/Barbuda. Project RICO (Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean) was a field program sponsored by the National Science Foundation whose objectives were to evaluate precipitation in shallow cumulus clouds across a broad range of scales.
He ended his career with an NSF grant to his own company, Atmospheric Physics Associates, along with Dr. Kenneth Beard, his lifelong research partner. He had an article in Science and two articles in Nature, in addition to more than 25 publications. He mentored several graduate students. Harry was very successful in obtaining NSF grants to do the research he enjoyed. He had field projects in St. Louis; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Cocoa Beach, Fla.; Hilo, Hawaii; and Antigua/Barbuda; among others. He worked with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., many times and got to hike up Pikes Peak. He also planned a Meteorology Conference in Glenwood Springs, Colo. Because of his research in Cocoa Beach, he was able to watch the space shuttle take off from the closest possible distance, even closer than the news media. He attended scientific conferences in France, Germany, Austria, Finland and Israel, among others.
Harry married Georgette Lalish on April 24, 1971, in Arlington Heights. They lived their entire married life in Champaign and Savoy and would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year.
They have three children, Rebecca (John) Pick of Chippewa Falls, Wis., Sara (Simon) McCauley of Windham, N.H., and Michael (Amy) Ochs of Eagle, Idaho. They have seven grandchildren, Jack and Alec Pick, Madeline, Dylan and Annaliese McCauley and Livia and Bodi Ochs.
He was predeceased by his brother, Richard Ochs.
The family thanks the wonderful staff at Accolade Healthcare of Paxton for their care of Harry the past few years. The family thanks Transitions Hospice for their compassionate care in his final few days.
Graveside services will be held at a later date at the family plot, Grandview Cemetery, Allentown, Pa. Baier Family Funeral Services, Paxton, is assisting the family with arrangements.
