Richard Odenberg

Richard Odenberg was born in Los Angeles CA, on June 4, 1934 and passed away after a short illness on September 10, 2021 in Spokane Washington.  He was the loving father of two, Lisa Odenberg Hauck and Garrick Odenberg, and grandfather to Spencer and Gina Hauck.  He is survived by his brothers, Roger, Bob and Ralph and their respective families.  He was generous, companionate, a mentor and respected by all who came into contact with him.   Richard was a graduate of UCLA, with degrees in engineering and physics

Richard was an inventor and an entrepreneur holding several patents.   In 1967 he founded Transtector Systems while pioneering the use of stacked silicon avalanche diodes (SAD) to protect sensitive low voltage semiconductor technology.  Building upon early market success with advanced silicon suppression technologies, Transtector grew to a global presence providing custom and off-the-shelf protection solutions for today’s sensitive digital equipment. Your computer, IPad, data banks at financial institutions and office networks, are a few devices and locations that require surge protection.

Richard was a world traveler for business and certainly pleasure. He served on various International Committees as Chairman, lectured and also worked with groups associated with the industry, advancing national and international surge suppression standards.   In May 2012, he received the prestigious Entrepreneur Achievement Award presented by the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEEE).  He was recognized as an IEEE member who was instrumental in furthering entrepreneurial growth in the United States and honored as an individual who demonstrated an innovative mindset in creating a successful technology based business. Transtector was acquired by Infinite Electronics in 2017, the year Richard retired.

Private family services will be held at a later date.

To leave condolences for the family and share memories of Richard, please visit his Tribute Wall.