WINDHAM, Vt. – Ernie Friedli, 95, died at home Sept. 20, 2021, with his family at his side. We are forever indebted to his cherished friends and generous medical providers. Ernie lost the love of his life, Sheila, in December 2014. He is survived by his eldest son Kipp and his wife Helen with endearing grandchildren Laura and Kate and her husband Henry; also his second son Brett and his children Hayley and Ali; and great-grandchildren Sachie, Fiona, Elaina, and Logan. He is also survived by his sister Margaret Nussbickel.
The stories Ernie shared with those who listened were rich with glorious details about people and travels around the globe. People opened their hearts to him in response, sharing their own experiences, making a true connection. In the Navy for a short time, he was in training to be a pilot as World War II ended. As an engineer from Duke, he joined IBM and in the late 1940s built the first 13 hard disk drives, which facilitated launching the computer age. In the 1960s, he was chosen by Tom Watson Jr. to manage a new plant in Bedford Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he had been born and raised.
For the past 30-plus years, Ernie called Vermont home. A place where communities are real and people stop in the road to passionately debate matters of true importance. How do we educate our children? How do we supply electricity to a power-hungry world? How do we grow healthy food? How do we travel without destroying the earth? Vermont is a special place, full of loving neighbors.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ernie’s honor to the Grace Cottage Hospital Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Association, or your favorite charity. A memorial service will be arranged at a future date.
Davis Memorial Chapel is assisting with the arrangements.