Bernhard E. Keiser

Asleep in Jesus. Dr. Bernhard Edward Keiser, beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, and friend, went home to be with the Lord on May 1, 2025. He was 96 years old.

Bernhard was born on November 14, 1928, in Richmond Heights, Missouri, to Bernhard and Helen Barbara Julia (Buerkle) Keiser. He was reborn into Christ in the waters of Holy Baptism on June 16, 1929.

His favorite childhood memories included playing imaginary games with his brother Charles and sister Helen and going on family vacations. He displayed a keen interest in radios, so his Uncle John gave him an old tube set and drew the circuit diagram, which Bernhard memorized. His parents also gave him a kit from Allied Radio in Chicago to build his own two-tube receiver. Tuning in, he heard about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and alerted his parents. While listening to local broadcasts, he heard two hams—amateur radio operators—playing a game of chess over the radio. This was his introduction to ham radio, which would become his lifelong hobby. During a time when his family was growing increasingly dissatisfied with the church they were attending, Bernhard heard Walter A. Maier of The Lutheran Hour on KFUO radio. This ultimately led his family to join the Lutheran Church. On April 18, 1943, the anniversary of Martin Luther’s famous stand before the Diet of Worms, Bernhard confirmed the faith given to him in his Baptism.

In 1953, Bernhard earned a Doctor of Science degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Washington University, St. Louis. He met Evelyn Koenig in 1954, at a St. Louis-wide Walther League picnic in Forest Park. They fell in love and married on January 22, 1955 and, in the years to follow, were blessed with five children: Sandra, Carol, Nancy, Linda, and Paul.

Bernhard enjoyed an exciting career as a communications engineer. Among his various positions through the years are the following:

After earning his DScEE, he served as Senior Research Engineer at White-Rodgers Company, St. Louis. In 1957, he was a Technical Assistant to the Vice President, Missouri Research Laboratories.

In 1959, Bernhard joined RCA Laboratories, Princeton, NJ, in their Project Pangloss Submarine Communications program sponsored by the US Navy. While at RCA, he designed what was, at the time, the world’s longest radio antenna, which enabled communications to deeply submerged submarines.

From 1964 to 1967, Bernhard was Manager of the RCA Communication Planning and Engineering activities for the Apollo Project at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From 1967 to 1969, he was Administrator of Advanced Systems Planning at the RCA Missile and Surface Radar Division, Moorestown, NJ.

In 1969, he joined Northrop Corporation as Vice President and Technical Director of Systems Research and Engineering at Page Communication Engineers, Inc., Washington, DC. From 1971 to 1972, he was the Director of Advance Engineering at Atlantic Research Corporation in Alexandria, VA.

From 1972 to 1975, he was the Technical Director of the Applications Technology Spacecraft (ATS-6) program at Fairchild Space & Electronics Company, Germantown, Maryland. This communications satellite was the first to transmit live television back to earth from outer space, notably allowing earthlings to watch the Apollo-Soyuz docking live in July of 1975.

From 1975 until his retirement in 2005, he was self-employed as President of Keiser Engineering, Inc., Vienna, Virginia. His company consulted on communications engineering, specifically on cellular telephony and satellite systems. Bernhard taught courses through George Washington University’s Continuing Education program on various subjects, including satellite systems, microwave engineering, and broadband communications.

In connection with his courses, he traveled extensively and wrote the following books:
EMI Control in Aerospace Systems (White)
Principles of Electromagnetic Compatibility (Artech),
Digital Telephony and Network Integration (Van Nostrand, with E. Strange)
Broadband Coding, Modulation, and Transmission Engineering (Prentice Hall)

From 1980 to 1981, he was Chairman of the Northern Virginia Section of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He became a Fellow of the IEEE in 1980, and a Fellow of the Radio Club of America in 1982. Other memberships included the Washington Academy of Sciences, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (Associate Fellow), American Management Association, Armed Forces Communications Electronics Association, and the Sons of the American Revolution. He was a Distinguished Member with seventy-five years of service as a licensed radio amateur in The Quarter Century Wireless Association, Inc. He was also an active and faithful member of Grace Lutheran Church in Falls Church, VA.

Bernhard enjoyed his ham radio activities throughout his life. He built and operated equipment on 21 different amateur bands from medium wave to millimeter wave. This included high frequency short wave, where he made contact with other amateurs in 336 different countries/political entities. He transmitted amateur television signals as far as Norfolk, VA and the Skyline Drive in VA. He built and operated an amateur satellite station, with contacts to others in 66 countries. On the microwaves, using his portable station, he operated from Reddish Knob on the WV border and contacted as far as RI, a distance of 717 km. On November 14, 2001, he and a friend contacted each other via millimeter waves (the 47 GHz band) over a distance of 174 km, which was the North American distance record at that time. In January 2003, he put his moon bounce station on the air and made contact with around 160 similarly equipped amateurs in 54 countries via the moon. His grandchildren had fun sitting on his lap watching as he made connections and talked with friends around the world. His station was licensed by the FCC with the call sign W4SW.

Bernhard and Evelyn were avid global travelers and shared a love of history, culture, geography, genealogy, photography, and especially of their family! Most of all, they shared a deep and abiding trust in their Savior Jesus Christ. We rejoice that they are now together again with their Lord and so many others who have gone before them.

Bernhard was preceded in death by his wife Evelyn, his daughter Sandra, his parents Bernhard and Helen Keiser, his brother Charles, and his sister Helen. He is survived by his children Carol (Steve) Stearns, Nancy Nus, Linda (Stan) Temme, Paul (Angela) Keiser; grandchildren Elizabeth (Nathan), Bryan (Rachel), Stephen, Kirsten, Sarah, Lydia (Tim), David (Elise), Ruth, Jon, Lois, Silas, Rachel (Nathaniel), Kathryn, and Christie; and 13 great-grandchildren.
Listening to the Issues, Etc., radio talk show was a favorite part of his day for many years, and he recorded the following promotional, which aired in 2022: “Nonagenarians in Northern Virginia love listening to Issues, Etc., while lounging in their La-Z-Boys.”
Memorials may be made to Issues Etc., P.O. Box 83, Collinsville, IL 62234 or https://issuesetc.org/donate/ with a note “memorial: Dr. B. E. Keiser.”

Visitation will be at the Money & King Funeral Home, 171 Maple Ave W, Vienna, VA 22180, Monday, June 9, 6–8:00 pm, and Grace Lutheran Church, 3233 Annandale Road, Falls Church, VA 22042, Tuesday, June 10, 9:30–10:30 am, right before the funeral service.

Funeral Service: Tuesday, June 10, 10:30 am, at Grace Lutheran Church, 3233 Annandale Road, Falls Church, VA 22042, Pastor Tim Satorius officiating.

Internment: Bernhard’s body will be laid to rest to await the resurrection of the body in Christ at Fairfax Memorial Park in a private family service.

Bernhard’s Confirmation verse: “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.” John 11:25–26