Date of death: 5/26/2010
Saint Meinrad Class: O 1955
Charles Francis Mueller, 81, died peacefully in his sleep at a hospital in Salzburg, Austria. Mr. Mueller was born on March 14, 1929, in Rushville, Indiana, the son of the late Michael and Irene (Schuman) Mueller. Following graduation from Saint Meinrad, he worked for Westinghouse in Indianapolis before being drafted into the U.S. Army. He served as a Sergeant in the Allied Occupation Forces in Salzburg, Austria, where he met his wife, Charlotte Rose Erlmoser. After their marriage in Salzburg in 1953, he returned to the states and earned a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University. After graduation, Mr. Mueller accepted a job at IBM Owego, in upstate New York. In 1965, he became a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of New York and was a lifetime member of IEEE. In 1972, he was recognized at IBM for working on the Saturn/Apollo project which landed man on the moon. He and Charlotte raised four children in nearby Endwell, NY. In 1965, they purchased a small cottage on Echo Lake where the family lived in the summers. After 35 years with IBM, Mr. Mueller retired and began renovations on the cottage before moving with Charlotte to Ormond Beach, Florida. He loved to build things, sail on the lake, and befriend everyone he met. Anyone who knew Charles Mueller loved him. Mr. Mueller is survived by his wife, Charlotte Rose, of Ormond Beach, Florida; son, Michael Charles Mueller; daughter-in-law, Peggie Dalrymple Mueller; granddaughter, Rachel Elissa Mueller; and grandson, Ryan Dalrymple Mueller of Houston, Texas; daughter, Marianne Mueller of Palo Alto, California; daughter, Linda Mueller Fitzhugh and son-in-law, Gary Fitzhugh of Panama City, Florida; daughter, Katherine Elisabeth Koeniger, son-in-law, Rainer Koeniger; grand-daughters, Lara Rose Koeniger and Ella Maria Koeniger; and grandson, Liam Thomas Koeniger of Munich, Germany; brothers, Frederick Mueller of Danville, Illinois and Clarence Mueller of Rapid City, Michigan; sister, Mary Eileen Johnston of Zephyrhills, Florida; and brother-in-law, Reverend Gerhard Erlmoser of Kirchberg, Tirol, Austria. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Barbara Rose, and sisters, Sister Michaela Mueller and Margaret Mary Roberts. Donations can be made to any Catholic Charities organization in his memory.Published in the Daytona Beach News-Journal on June 10, 2010.