Robert F. Elfant

Robert F. Elfant

March 12, 1936 – April 15, 2026

Robert F. Elfant (Bob), was born March 12,1936 in the Bronx, NY and grew up in Dallas, TX.

He received his BS from SMU, MS from NYU while working at Bell Labs and PhD in Engineering at Purdue, in 1961. He met Cecile Rayblatt in 1957, and they married the next year. While at NYU they had a son, Michael and daughter, Natalie, while he was at Purdue.

Bob started at IBM in 1961 as an engineer in Yorktown Heights, NY and later Poughkeepsie, NY, where he went into Engineering Management. In 1967, he won the IEEE Young Outstanding Engineer award, and in 1968, he got the Purdue Distinguished Engineering Alumni award. In later years, Bob was on the Dean’s Advisory Board at Purdue and UCSD. He also served on the Malcolm Baldrige Award Committee.

He left IBM after 19 years and went into executive roles at several high-tech companies, including Unisys, Intel, and Western Digital. He and Cecile moved to different states every few years as he advanced in his career. Bob and Cecile retired to Austin, TX and lived there until Cecile passed in 2012. Bob then moved to Sequim to be near his daughter Natalie and her husband, Jerry.

Bob enjoyed travelling to all 50 states and about 40 countries. His hobbies included photography, wood turning, swimming and working out in a gym.

From his first marriage, Bob leaves behind his son Michael and his wife Poppy and their child Jaz, as well as his daughter Natalie and her husband Jerry. He was also close to his nephews Bruce and Don and their partners Lisa and Kat.

Bob met his second wife, Wende Ang, in 2015 and they finally tied the knot in 2025. He leaves behind Wende, her daughter Jennifer and partner Andrew, and grandchildren Maize and Rosie, who all live in Scotland.