Terry Gilpatrick, AD2HS
Terrence “Terry” M. Gilpatrick, of Westtown, NY, died unexpectedly on January 14, 2026. He was 75. Terry was a Ham radio enthusiast and was a member of the Orange County Amateur Radio Club and a past member of Minisink Hose Co. #1 Unionville Fire Department, Unionville, NY. For those who were lucky enough to be on his Christmas list, he was the maker of the best peanut brittle in the world, which he lovingly crafted with his family for over 40 years.
John Lawler, N9UKS
John Dennis Lawler, 87, of Kokomo, passed away peacefully Wednesday evening, January 14, 2026, at Community Howard Regional Health Hospital in Kokomo with his family by side.
John enjoyed electronics, home stereo systems, and listening to classic rock and bluegrass. John loved tinkering and repairing things. He amused and annoyed his wife and kids with his frugalness, letting projects drag on for years because he wouldn’t buy all the required pieces at one time. He was a huge fan of sports cars, especially Jaguar E-types and Camaros.
John had his amateur radio license, was a member of the Kokomo HAM radio club, and enjoyed the storm chaser classes. Although he didn’t like to transmit, he loved listening to his friends on radio and was very grateful to the guys who strung up a new antenna in the backyard for him. John loved going to HAMfests, both to shop and just hang out with the guys.
David Assaf III, W5XU
Taken too soon from family and friends, David Assaf, III departed this world on January 18, 2026.
In 1963, [his high school] newspaper noted that David had his “own home workshop in which he performs experiments in the phases of science.” Indeed, it was during high school that he began a lifelong hobby as an electronics tinkerer and amateur radio operator, aka a “ham”.
For the rest of his life, David would continue to keep a workshop (affectionately called “the shack”) in every place he called home, chock full of radios and electronics in various phases of repair, especially his favorite Drake brand transmitters and receivers. With his radios, his trusted Morse code keyer, a thousand watts, and a modified Yagi antenna of his own design, he would bounce radio waves off the ionosphere to communicate with other hams on the other side of the planet, a practice known as “DX” in ham parlance. During Hurricane Betsy in 1965, he provided emergency communication via his amateur radio station, a service for which he was recognized by the city of New Orleans.
