Donald M. Ernst, 73

Donald Martin Ernst, 73, passed away at 2 AM on Sunday, October 24^th, 2011 at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, PA due to complications from Graft vs. Host Disease following an unrelated stem cell transplant to cure Acute Myeloid Leukemia.  He has been fighting AML for almost 2.5 years.

Born in Texas and raised in Missouri and Kansas, Don graduated from Kansas State University with a Physics degree and came to work for RCA in Lancaster in 1962.  There he started his illustrious career in heat pipe technology used for cooling electronics in space, on the ground and underwater.  He was a pioneer and internationally renowned expert and last year received a prestigious George Grover medal for his lifelong contributions to this field.  Don was also a Life Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

After 7 years at Thermoelectron Co. in Boston and a small start up in NJ, Don returned to Lancaster to help his former boss from RCA to start and grow Thermacore, Inc. into a $60 million global company through engineering, marketing, mergers and acquisitions.  And 3 years after he helped sell Thermacore to Modine, Don retired and went to work for a fast growing small company in Lancaster, Advanced Cooling Technologies.  In his 2^nd retirement for the last few years, he and his wife ran a small consulting firm primarily working for Space Engineering Research Center at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX.

Don is survived by his beloved wife and sputnik, Irina Ernst of Lancaster, PA; his adoring children: son, David Ernst, daughter-in-law, Samantha Ernst, granddaughters, Morgan and Sydney Ernst, all of Lancaster, PA; daughter, Kristin Arisman, son-in-law, Peter Arisman, granddaughter, Phoebe Arisman, and grandson, Wyatt Arisman, all of Sanford, FL; son, Scott Ernst, and partner, Tim Dean, both of St. Louis, MO and his loving sister, Carol Jennings, of Springdale, AR.

Don was hard working, good hearted, intelligent, an easy going person who LOVED life, people, fishing, cooking and travels.  He was much liked, respected and loved and will be sorely missed by his family and friends all over the world.

A viewing will be held at the Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home & Crematory, 414 E. King St, Lancaster, PA 17602, on Saturday, October 29, 2011 from 2-5 PM to allow all who can come to say their farewells to the remarkable man called Don Ernst.  Don’s Celebration of Life event will be held at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Don’s name to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society to find a cure, www.LLS.org or 800 Corporate Circle, Suite 100, Harrisburg, PA 17110. Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home & Crematory  717-393-9661