Charles Gary Rommel

 Charles “Gary” Rommel, 76, passed away August 25, 2023. He was born June 6, 1947, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Emily Arcilesi Rommel and Charles John Rommel.

Gary graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and from Loyola College in Baltimore in 1969. He went on to earn a M.S. degree from the University of Virginia in 1972. It was at UVA that he met his future wife, Carol, who he married in 1973. He began his first career as a rocket scientist working for NASA in Greenbelt, Md. and continued at Hamilton Standard, Windsor Locks, Ct. where he was part of the team designing spacesuits. He later pursued a PhD degree in computer engineering at the University of Massachusetts which he received in 1988. His second career was as a college professor in computer science at Eastern Connecticut State University for thirty years.

He spent his retirement years on Hilton Head Island, SC where he volunteered for Hilton Head Hospital and gave nature tours for the Coastal Discovery Museum. He loved traveling, reading, kayaking, bicycling, and walking his beloved golden retrievers around the island. He especially enjoyed time with his family including his young grandchildren.

Gary is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Carol; a son Robert “Bob”; a daughter Adair (Tyler) Newman; grandchildren Sloane and Kennedy: a sister in law, Joyce; two brothers in law, Jim and Joe; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 2:00 pm on Friday, September 8, 2023 in Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church with Reverend Christopher Knight as Celebrant. A family celebration of his life will be held in October on Cape Cod. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Community Hospice and Palliative Care, Beaches LTC, or the Dementia Society of America online