Bay “Jere” Edward Estes, III, was born May 11, 1937, in New York City and passed away in Lombard, IL, on January 27, 2020, age 82, as a result of late stage vascular dementia. Jere was the oldest child of Bay Estes, Jr., and Ruth (Stubbs) Estes.
Jere grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, where he graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School. He went on to attend Cornell University and earn a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree. Jere eventually received a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from University of Pittsburgh.
Jere enjoyed working on cars, building electronics, and riding motorcycles. From high school on, he was often in the basement or garage working on one project or another. His first solid state hi-fi stereo receiver was one he built from a kit in the sixties. He constructed his family’s first color television set, also from a kit, in the early seventies. Not surprisingly, his master’s thesis topic at Pitt was “Digital Ignition Timing for Automotive Engines”.
Jere started his career developing industrial control systems, then later switched to electronic controls for consumer appliances. His designs have been in products by Genie, Amana, Whirlpool, Kenmore and other familiar brands. Jere is named as inventor or co-inventor of sixteen patents.
Some of Jere’s favorite times were those spent with his family at his parents’ cottage on the shore of Deep Creek Lake, MD. Weekends and vacations there were filled with skiing, boating, tinkering, exploring, and visiting with relatives.
Jere appreciated a good pun – a trait he inherited from his mother – and always welcomed a meal that he didn’t have to cook for himself – a trait he inherited from his father. He was fond of pets, and taught his cat to fetch a ping pong ball in exchange for treats. After retirement, Jere took up bicycle riding, and would often brag that he put more miles on his bike than his minivan. Jere enjoyed music, and learned to play several instruments; in his later years he would sit and play his music keyboard almost daily.
Jere was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his three siblings: his sister Barbara Dreher of Athens, GA, his sister Karen (Bruce) Menke of Athens, GA, and his brother David (Nancy) Estes of Pittsburgh, PA. Jere also leaves behind beloved sons: Edward “Ted” (Lisa) Estes of Glen Ellyn, IL, and Andrew (Dawn) Estes of Island Lake, IL, as well as his four grandchildren.
A private family celebration of Jere’s life is planned for later this year.
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Ted, Lisa, Collin and Andrew,
We are very sad to hear the sad news about Bay. He was a kind man. Please accept our condolences and let us know if there is anything we can do.
Brad, Lana, Alec, Richie and Eric
This morning I received The Cornell Alumni News, and glanced at the obits (being of that age where friends appear). I happened to see Jere’s name and was struck by seeing the name Bay Estes. I don’t think I ever knew he went to Cornell. Bay II was one of my father’s dearest friends at the Harvard Business School. The men arranged visits with their families whenever they could, living fairly far apart as they did. I remember clearly spending time at the Estes family cottage/camp on the Rangley Lakes in Maine, and being quite smitten by Jere. We were preteens, as I recall. He was exactly one year older, sharing the May 11th birthday. The other memory of that summer visit was leeches in the lake! Bay and Ruth were lovely hosts and they made sure we had our fill of lobster. There were eight kids altogether, and it was a merry gathering with lots of games and water sports. I’m so sorry Jere’s gone and that I never crossed paths with him again. My condolences to your whole family. Nancy Hoeft Eales, Cornell ’60.
Dear Estes Family:
I am Debra Hohman. I had the dynamic experience of working with Bay and the team at Essex International.
My condolences to his family and colleagues and friends.
Debra Hohman
16mobiletablet@gmail.com
I had the pleasure of working with Bay in the Motorola Appliance Controls in the mid 80s on those consumer projects. I learned much and he was a valued contributor in this field and I am sure he contributed to many other’s knowledge over the years; a legacy into the future.
Now doing STEM labs and demos for local schools and scouts, a question about motors reminded me of Bay and a search turned this up.
It is always sad to hear of a valued friend’s passing. Please be assured that Bay’s life work helped others along the way who also carry that forward to others.
My condolences.