Peter M. Schultheiss

peter schultheiss

October 18, 1924 ~ February 23, 2021

Born in: Munich, Germany
Resided in: Hamden, CT

Peter Schultheiss died peacefully in his sleep in Hamden, Connecticut on February 23, 2021 at the age of 96. He was predeceased by his wife of fifty years, Ulla (Heimann) Schultheiss.
Peter was born in Munich, Germany in 1924, the son of Karl Schultheiss, an artist, and Alice (Trier) Schultheiss. In 1939, the family fled Nazi Germany for England; a year later, they arrived in the United States. Peter attended The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and then Yale University, where he received a BS in electrical engineering. In 1945, Peter was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving as a radio operator for AMFOGE (Allied Mission for Overseeing the Greek Elections). Upon completing his military service, he returned to Yale for his PhD and soon thereafter began his research and teaching career.
He was a faculty member at Yale University, teaching in the Electrical Engineering and Mathematics departments for over 65 years. He trained dozens of PhD students, and was widely known for his research in the fields of electrical control systems and signal processing, with a focus on detection and estimation theory. He made significant contributions to the theory of source localization by an array of sensors and advanced its application in underwater acoustics. Even after officially retiring in his seventies, he continued to teach classes until he was 91. He loved teaching and was proud that he never missed a class, even putting on cross-country skis to travel the six miles to Yale during the blizzard of ‘78.
A resident of Hamden since the 1950s, Peter enjoyed opera, chamber music, and visiting art museums, as well as travelling to Europe to see family. He especially loved spending summers in Vermont with his children and grandchildren. Peter was an avid gardener, reader, and hiker and up to the last day of his life, walked several miles a day. His quiet, loving presence will be missed by all who knew him. He is survived by his four children, Thomas of Haifa, Israel; Katrin (Eric Arnesen) of Bethesda, Maryland; Andrew (Katherine Schwartz) of Boulder, Colorado; Susan (Bob Gribbon) of Hamden, Connecticut; and seven grandchildren: Rachel, Samuel, William, James, Mia, Daniel, and Gavriela.
There will be a private celebration of Peter’s life at a later date. Donations can be made in his honor to the Weston Playhouse or the Green Mountain Club. BEECHER & BENNETT FUNERAL HOME, 2300 Whitney Ave., Hamden is in care of arrangements.

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  1. Katrin and siblings
    I’m sorry to hear of the passing of your dad. Interestingly, Katrin, your name came up when I was reminiscing with my parents a few weeks ago. Praying for you all.
    Darlene Jameson

    • Dear Darlene: Thank you for your kind words about my father’s passing. How lovely to hear from you even on such a sad occasion. I’ve often wondered about how your life unfolded after we lost touch in our teens. I live in the DC area, married, with three adult kids and work at George Washington University where I teach history. I hope you and your family are well. Thank you again for your condolences.
      Katrin

  2. Dear Schultheiss Family,

    Professor Schultheiss was my favorite professor at Yale (20+ years ago now!). My freshman year (1996) he was my undergraduate advisor and teacher for multivariable calculus and linear algebra. He was such a great, energetic teacher. I remember linear algebra was taught at 830a on MWF and in the winter you’d find nearly all of the 100+ students there for every lecture. It’s not easy to get students to class that early in the freezing cold. But he was that good. He also advised me on a couple of my special projects and wrote me a very kind recommendation letter (which I still have lying around somewhere). He was a great guy! Very sorry for your loss.

    Swami Kumaresan
    Class of 2000


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