Alphonse Grassl Jr. Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Alphonse Joseph Grassl, 90, a current resident of Jefferson City, MO, passed away on March 6, 2021 at the Boone County Hospital in Columbia, MO. He was born on June 15, 1930 in San Antonio, TX, son of Alphonse and Janie (Hyatt) Grassl. Joining the U.S. Navy immediately after graduating from San Antonio’s Central Catholic High School in 1947, he served on the aircraft carrier USS Boxer during the Korean War (1950-52). His naval service as shipboard Air Search Radar Technician shaped his life’s working career. After his discharge, he worked in the Arctic as a field engineer for Collins Radio, installing and testing VHF/UHF communication systems associated with the Detection and Early Warning System (DEW Line). Al then enrolled in the University of Texas at Austin, graduating in 1958 with a BS degree in electrical engineering. There he was recognized as an outstanding student by the Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu engineering academic honor societies. Upon graduation, he began a long and successful career at Texas Instruments in Dallas that involved serving as a design engineer on many military airborne radar programs as well as holding many management and marketing positions within the company. In 1986, he left TI to accept a high-level management position with Tracor in Austin, retiring in 1995. One of his colleagues at TI commented, “If you had a hard job to do, Al was the one you wanted by your side.” His strong commitment to “satisfactorily completing a job” applied to any job, be it a radar system, home plumbing, cutting the grass, fishing, golf or watching the Longhorns, Cowboys, or the Rangers. This was his character. This is why all his associates at work and family at home had complete trust in their relationship with Al. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Connie (Shepherd) Grassl, and by his children, Lynne Weber Schwartz (husband Keith), Elizabeth Grassl-White (husband Alan), Amy del Valle (husband Chris), Pamela McCarthy, Patricia McCarthy; his grandchildren, Emily McCarthy, Michael Hagar, and Hope Rasmussen (husband Geoff); his great-grandchild, Scarlett Rose Rasmussen, his brother, Charles Grassl, and his precious dog “Annie.” A Celebration of Life service will be held in Jasper, Texas at a date and time to be announced. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in Al’s name made to either or both St. Raymond’s Catholic Church, 283 FM 1007, Brookland, Texas 75931 and the Compassus Living Foundation, online at www.compassuslivngfoundation.org or directly to Compassus Living Foundation, 10 Cadillac Drive, Brentwood, TN 37027.

Alphonse Grassl Jr.

June 15, 1930 - March 6, 2021