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SCHUCH -- Robert Louis Schuch, 79, passed away peacefully in the presence of his beloved wife, Eloise, his five sons, and one of his granddaughters, just before sunrise on January 2, 2004. The tenth of eleven children, he was born in Chicago on September 23, 1924 to Frank and Caroline Schuch. He attended Chicago's St. Augustine Catholic School and graduated from Lindblom Technical High School in 1942. He was a resident of New Mexico for 52 years. He enlisted in the Navy in 1943, and served as a Motor Machinist Mate, 2nd Class, on a communications vessel in the Pacific in Okinawa, Saipan, and Iwo Jima. He received an honorable discharge for the Navy in 1945, and returned to his work as a machinist and technician in the University of Chicago's research labs, where he worked prior to the war. In 1946, he married Betty McAllister, with whom he had his sons. His work in the Chicago labs laid the foundation for his long and unique career in the field of nuclear research and development. There he helped construct Enrico Fermi's "Chicago Pile," which resulted in the world's first controlled nuclear reaction, and later worked as Willard Libby's chief technician in the development of Carbon - 14 dating. In 1950 he accepted a position with Los Alamos Scientific Laboratories. Through the 1950's, as a senior technician, he worked directly on the development of the whole-body radiation counter and witnessed eighteen atomic bomb tests in the Pacific. He then worked at Sandia National Laboratories for nearly twenty-three years. His work included the Hermes II electron beam accelerator and the Area 5 nuclear reactor. He retired in 1990 as staff member and coordinator at the Yucca Mountain Test Site in Nevada, thus bringing his life's work full circle: he had begun by assisting at the birth of the nuclear age; he finished by working to find a safe solution to the problem of nuclear waste. In addition to his extraordinary career, he was active in a variety of activities throughout his life: softball in Chicago, the Boy Scouts and Little Theater in Los Alamos, and the Albuquerque Horseshoe Club. After his retirement he volunteered at the National Atomic Museum, participated in the Senior Citizens Olympics, judged in Native American children's science fairs, and provided resources and support for the science program at Jemez Pueblo's elementary school. In the face of the adversity of his final few years, he continually manifested a gracious and positive spirit toward everyone. He will be sorely missed by his wife, Eloise; ***his sons, Charles, Douglas, Brian, Thomas, Steven; stepsons, Sid and Tony; stepdaughter, Stacie; 12 grandchildren; 6 great-grandchildren; sister, Lillian, and brother, Anthony, both of Chicago, IL. Friends may visit, Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at French Mortuary, University Blvd. Chapel. Interment will take place at 2:30 p.m. at Santa Fe National Cemetery. Memorial services will be held Saturday, 5:00 p.m., at French Mortuary, University Blvd. Chapel. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to Share Your Care Adult Day Services, 3825 4th St. NW, 87107. French Mortuary 1111 University Blvd. NE 843-6333
        Published on: Wed January 07, 2004