Parsippany – Haluk Ozdemir Askin, inventor and beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather passed away peacefully on April 10, 2019, in Parsippany, NJ. He was 86.
Born April 1, 1933, the only son of the late Nevzat and Hayranisa Askin, Haluk was raised in Istanbul, Turkey. He joined the Turkish Naval Academy and graduated at the top of his class before coming to the United States to complete his education, earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Toledo. While a student, he fell in love with Maureen Burnage, a beautiful and witty red-haired English girl. Following an adventurous road trip westward, the couple married in Las Vegas on June 10, 1960. They eventually meandered to New York’s Hudson Valley and purchased an old farmhouse in the town of Stanfordville, NY, where they spent many happy years raising three children along with sheep, chickens, ponies, and a menagerie of pets. Later, the pair moved their family to a home in nearby Clinton Corners, NY, and continued to enjoy country life, albeit without the company of farm animals.
Haluk had a long career at I.B.M., contributing to numerous patents during his tenure. Among his career highlights was the invention of a novel circuit design that optimized the performance of a VLSI microprocessor. In appreciation of this high-value contribution, he was presented with I.B.M.’s Outstanding Innovation Award in a ceremony held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City in 1982.
A strong, intelligent, and inspirational man with a great sense of humor, Haluk was loved throughout his life by everyone he met. His passions included fishing, woodworking, good friends, good food and wine, raki, dancing at weddings, and most of all, his family. Survived by Maureen, his wife of 59 years, Haluk leaves as his legacy: two daughters, Canan (Scott) Morrill of Mountain View, CA, and Meral (Kyle) Malady of Mountain Lakes, NJ, and a son, Timucin Askin (Viviana Sanper) of West Palm Beach, FL; grandchildren Andrea, Patrick, Benjamin, Eleanor, and Margaret; and great-grandson, Brayden. He’ll be met in heaven by his cherished granddaughter and angel, Caelen.
Haluk was fondly remembered in a small, private ceremony on April 13, 2019. Should friends desire, memorial contributions may be made to Caelen’s Fund, 341 Morris Ave., Mountain Lakes, NJ, 07046.
