Obituary of Irvin Henry Brockman

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, Irvin Brockman, age 86, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on January 12, 2021, at home surrounded by his wife and family. Irvin was born January 8, 1935, in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada, the son of the late Henry and Agnes Brockman.

He was the second of four children: Lois, Arnold (d 2017), and Jeanne Laxdal. Irvin grew up on the family farm and attended St. Peter’s College high school in nearby Muenster. He graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a degree in Physics Engineering in 1957. On September 7, 1957 he and Helen Lorraine (neé Schmidt) were married in Saskatoon, Sask. They moved to Toronto, then Windsor, Ontario where he taught and earned a Masters’ in Engineering at the University of Windsor. He also pursued postgraduate studies at Wayne State University in Detroit. From there, they moved to the U.S., first to Erie then to Harrisburg, where Irvin worked for AMP, Inc. as a research engineer for 35 years becoming the Manager of Contact Physics before retiring in 1999. Later Irvin was a founding Partner of Apex Electrical Interconnection Consultants.

Irvin was a patient and loving husband and father that was always involved in his children’s lives and activities. He was a skilled mechanic, carpenter, electrician, and electronics whiz. He could fix anything. He designed and helped construct our family home of 52 years. He was involved in coaching many youth sports. Most notably, he coached Hershey Youth Hockey and the second US team to win the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament in 1976. Irvin was an avid gardener, Volkswagen aficionado and Sunday school teacher. He taught all his children to skate, play tennis, and was a very keen card player. During family holidays, Irvin loved playing Kaiser for hours with family.

Irvin is survived by his wife Lorraine, eight children and their spouses: Brian (Margaret), Daniel (Debra), Gerald (Jennifer), Lennard (Linda), Kathleen Sovay (Jon), Steven (Adriana), and Robert (Wendy) and Susan Cohen (Lee); 17 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces & nephews. He will always have a place in our hearts and minds, but he will be greatly missed.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated with close family and friends on Monday morning, January 18, 2021 at 11:00 AM at St. Peter Catholic Church, 904 Mill Road, Elizabethtown, PA. There will be no public viewing. Family will receive guests at the church from 10:00 AM until the time of the service. Masks and social distancing are required. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Irvin’s memory to Holy Name of Jesus & St. Peter’s Catholic Churches. To express condolences with the family visit www.spencefuneralservices.com.

To watch the service clink on this link:  http://www.stpeteretown.org/online-streaming.html

Or, via Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/StPeterParishElizabethtown