Carlton Wilbur Ulbrich

Carlton Wilbur Ulbrich of Clemson, husband of Holley Hewitt Ulbrich, died December 6, 2015 after a long illness. He was 83.

In addition to his wife of 53 years, he is survived by three daughters, Christine Prado (Keith) of Central, Carla Ulbrich (Joe Giacoio) of Somerset, New Jersey and Katrina Miller (Neil) of Aiken; four granddaughters, Abigail, Caroline and Samantha Miller and Isabella Prado; a sister, Thelma Kay Inderdohnen; eleven nieces and nephews, and twenty grandnieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by a half-brother, Robert Karcher.

Carl was born October 1, 1932, in Meriden, Connecticut to Carl and Ruth Karcher Ulbrich. He graduated from New Britain High School and received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Connecticut. He served three years in the U.S. Coast Guard before starting college. He joined the physics faculty at Clemson University in 1966, where he taught and did research in radar meteorology and rainfall measurement. After his retirement in 1993, he continued his sponsored research through 2005. In 1997, he was honored as a fellow of the American Meteorological Society. Carl was an avid sailor and was active for many years in the Western Carolina Sailing Club. He also loved baseball, sports cars, photography, building furniture, playing the trumpet, being a husband and father and father-in-law and grandfather, and fixing things. He was passionate about science and the natural world, and used every opportunity to help people understand the science behind climate change and other environmental issues. He loved teaching, not just at the University but in the community: coaching youth basketball; teaching girl scouts carpentry and leatherwork and knot tying; guiding junior sailors through the doldrums; and serving on the board of the Clemson Child Development Center. Carl was an active member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clemson where he taught Sunday school, worked on the building and grounds, and served in a variety of leadership roles. His family and many friends knew him as a gentle soul with a quick wit, generous with his time and resources, who lived life to the fullest.

A memorial service will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clemson on Friday, December 11th at 10 a.m.

Memorials may be made to UUFC, 230 Pendleton Road, Clemson, or to the Clemson Child Development Center, 216 Butler Street, Clemson.

Condolences may be expressed online at www.robinsonfuneralhomes.com or in person at Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home, Central, which is assisting the family.