OBITUARY | Warren Gottschalk

Warren Edgar Gottschalk, 97, of Longboat Key and Moon Township, Pa., died Aug. 11.

Born April 21, 1918, in North Side, Pittsburgh, Mr. Gottschalk grew up in West View, Pa. and later settled in Moon Township. His father played piano for the Vaudeville circuit and became orchestra leader for several silent movie theaters in Pittsburgh and was later an employee of Volkwein’s Music.

Mr. Gottschalk was a Buhl Foundation scholar and attended the first class in atomic physics at the University of Pittsburgh. He later developed patents in high-speed motion photography for the Curtis Wright Corp. during World War II. He was an honor recipient of the Time Newsmakers of Tomorrow in 1953. He was the founder of the Pittsburgh Photographers Guild, president of the North Side Lions, a member of the Masonic Order and the Avalon Lodge and a 70-year member of Ken Mawr United Presbyterian Church.

A lifelong inventor and entrepreneur, Mr. Gottschalk started Warren Commercial Photographers in 1938, followed by Warren Corp., a manufacturer of medical and research equipment for the government and commercial industries. He worked with Dr. Jonas Salk on the polio vaccine project and the Air Force in the development of aerial photography for the U-2 reconnaissance and oversaw the construction of research laboratories for Westinghouse, U.S. Steel and Fort Detrick Army Research Institute. In 1946, he founded Warren Associates, specializing in printing and non-destructive testing.

A lover of music, he began his career in singing with The Pitt quartet, and he later had his own radio show. He was a member of the Tom Fallen Singers, and he performed with Lawrence Welk.

Never considering retirement, well into his 90s, Mr. Gottschalk was fond of driving to his office on the North Side and worked with his son and grandson. He served on numerous corporate boards, and one of his greatest passions was mentoring young entrepreneurs in pursuing their own enterprises.

Mr. Gottschalk enjoyed boating, travel, family and a good joke. 

Mr. Gottschalk was preceded in death by his first wife, Marjorie Jean Harper Gottschalk, who died in 1985, and a sister, June Gottschalk Cooper. He survived by his wife, Pam Hite Gottschalk; son, Kurt Gottschalk, of Moon Township; daughter, Leslie Gottschalk Hirsch, of Pittsburgh; and two grandchildren.

A private burial will take place in Allegheny County Memorial Park. A memorial celebration for family and friends will be held at 1 p.m. Sept. 13, at the Montour Heights Country Club in Moon Township.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Ken Mawr United Presbyterian Church, 1760 Pine Hollow Road, McKees Rocks, PA 15136.