Obituary of Helmut Brandhorst

Born in Hille, Germany , Hank immigrated to the United States with his parents and two sisters when he was six months old. His childhood was spent in Schenectady until he left high school to enlist in the army at the age of eighteen. Hank served as a medic and electrical technician during World War II, helping to set up field hospitals in Austria, France and England. He participated in the D-Day invasion and the liberation of Europe. Upon returning home from the war, he finished high school and married his junior high sweetheart Helen Betty Strong in 1948. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and was employed by General Electric Company in their Research Laboratory. Hank's career with General Electric took him from Schenectady to Syracuse and lastly to Cleveland, Ohio. He worked in research and development on the manmade diamond and later in the television and lighting divisions, retiring in 1986. While raising five children his favorite pastimes were camping, canoeing, fishing, boating and photography. He had always dreamed of retiring to the coast, but after several years in Moorhead City, North Carolina returned to upstate New York to be nearer to family. Hank was a loving, gentle husband, father, and grandfather, generous to those in need and always willing to lend a hand.