OBITUARY: Edward Spencer Wrasmann, 84, Passed Away Feb. 11
By Space Coast Daily // February 28, 2025
worked on the Gemini capsule at McDonnell, held patents for semiconductors at Harris
Edward Spencer Wrasmann of Melbourne, FL (and Rolla, MO) passed away peacefully at the age of 84 on February 11, 2025. He was preceded in death by his parents, George Edward & Virginia Spencer Wrasmann, and is survived by his daughter Shannon and his grandchildren – Connor, Ryan (Nyx), and Erin.
Ed was born in Carbondale, IL, and raised in Glendale, MO—a suburb of St. Louis. He was active in Boy Scouts and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout before graduating from Kirkwood High School. Like any good resident of St. Louis, he loved the Cardinals. He enjoyed many spring training games in Florida and regular season games at the greatest ballpark in the country, Busch Stadium.
He followed the careers of many Cardinals players throughout the years, but his favorite player was always his granddaughter, Erin. He loved watching her play softball, spending a day at the field, and eating concession stand hot dogs.
After high school, he headed west to Boulder to attend the University of Colorado, where he received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He would later also earn a master’s degree from Florida Tech. He placed a high value on education and was incredibly proud when his daughter graduated from the University of Florida (right down to the orange and blue striped tie he wore to the ceremony).
Ed’s college time was interrupted by a call to serve in the Army, which was stationed mostly in Korea. He frequently and fondly spoke of how much he enjoyed his time in the military.
He would later proudly share with anyone who would listen about his grandson, Ryan (Nyx), joining the Navy. And despite being a veteran of the U.S. Army, he wore his “Navy Grandpa” shirt with a smile.
Ed had a distinguished career working as a chemist with companies like McDonnell Aircraft, Harris, and Brewer Science. He worked on the electronics for the Gemini capsule at McDonnell and held multiple patents for chemical coatings for semiconductors from his time at Harris.
He worked as part of Brewer Science’s research and development team, focused on color image sensors for cameras, anti-reflective coatings, and photolithography.
Throughout his work, his time in the military, and mostly just for fun, Ed was able to travel extensively. He covered almost all of the United States and Canada in his RV and also vacationed in South America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. Some of his favorite trips were to Peru, Portugal, boating around Norway, a canal trip through England, and many dive trips all over the Caribbean.
Ed loved being on the water and was an accomplished sailor. From a kit, he built his own sailboat, which he kept for well over 20 years. He was a member of the Banana River Power Squadron and held many navigation certifications. As a member of the Missouri Stream Team, he worked to help monitor the water quality and keep the rivers healthy.
Additionally, he loved astronomy. He built his own telescope (sensing a pattern here?) to observe the stars, planets, comets, etc. Ed also kept his family well-informed when there were unique celestial events. He was beyond thrilled when his grandson, Connor, flew up to Missouri to join him in the path of totality for the total solar eclipse in 2017.
He was a longtime member of the First United Methodist Church in Rolla as well as St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Indialantic.
Ed loved his daughter and grandchildren with all his heart and never missed an opportunity to tell and show them. So many of his traits live on through them and he will be forever loved and missed.
In lieu of flowers, please send any donations to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. There are no plans for a service at this time. Instead book that vacation, check out the ocean, look up at the night sky, watch a cheesy Western or James Bond movie, enjoy an IPA, go for a walk (and actually look around), have a great meal, watch a baseball game, and call your parents.
