Harry Scharkss

After a long, fulfilling and fascinating life that exemplified the American dream, Harry Scharkss passed from this world on October 6, 2007. He was 95 years old. Harry was a devoted husband of 57 years to Frances and father to Donna and Steven, as well as the grandfather to Andrew, Kyle and Amanda and father-in-law to Sharon. He is survived by his wife, Frances, sister Gertrude, his children, nieces and nephews. He was born to Russian immigrants who had left Odessa after the pogroms of 1905. They migrated to Toronto and Montreal, where Harry lived his early years. His teen years were spent in Poughkeepsie, NY. His step-father was a very stern man so by the age of 16, he left home and went to California, arriving in the midst of the depression. Life was hard in those days. Eventually, he joined the army and was stationed in Hawaii, becoming a radio operator at the age of 18. A turning point in his life, he became a master radio engineer, often times flying on maiden flights in the 1930s and '40s. When the first teletypes were installed as communication on the B & O railroad, he was on the crew doing the installation. As we were told, it was President Truman who sent the message from the White House on that teletype, "What hath God wrought?", for that first time usage. In the 1950s, he installed the first radio towers on the George Washington Bridge in New York, climbing to the top of the suspension towers and cables. In 1950, he formed Mobile Communications, a two-way communication company, in Newark, N. J., focused on providing state of the art capabilities to municipal, transportation and commercial companies. For more than 30 years, Mobile Communications was an important contributor to the expanding infrastructure in the New York metropolitan area. In 1980, the business was sold and he and Frances continued their lives in Florida. In his later years, everyone who knew him was touched by how warm, charming and endearing he was. He leaves behind many friends and will be dearly missed, including his loving wife of fifty-seven years, Frances, his son, Steven (Sharon) of New Canaan, Connecticut; his daughter, Donna Scharkss of Laurel, Maryland; one sister, Gertrude Rutman of Las Vegas, Nevada and his three grandchildren, Andrew, Amanda and Kyle Scharkss, all of New Canaan, Connecticut. Funeral services were held Wed October 10 at 1PM at Beth Israel Memorial Cemetery Woodbridge NJ. Condolence cards can be sent to Steve Scharkss at 68 Running Brook Lane, New Canaan Ct 06840. The family requests contributions to be made to United Jewish Communities 111 Eighth Avenue Suite 11E New York, NY 10011-5201, in lieu of plants or flowers. David C. Gross Funeral Homes is serving the family. Service Information