John Carter (Jack) Storlie passed away  on Saturday, May 4, 2013. He died, courageously and on his own terms, his heart beating strongly until the end.  Jack was born Aug. 7, 1927, in Eau Claire, Wis., to Maurice and Helen (Perham) Storlie. Growing up in and around Eau Claire, he met his wife, Lois Sprague, and they married on March 27, 1948.

Jack left high school at age 17 to enlist in the Navy, and served aboard the U.S.S. Sabik in the Pacific theatre during the final year of WWII. Upon his discharge, he seized the opportunity offered him by the GI Bill and enrolled in UW-Eau Claire where he completed a B.S. degree in Chemistry in 1953. His teaching career began at Spooner High School in northern Wisconsin. After completing his Master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he joined the faculty of UW-La Crosse in 1959, where he taught chemistry.

In the 1960s, he became interested in the emerging field of computer science and secured a National Science Foundation grant to learn more about its potential. He went on to develop the academic and administrative computer functions that put UW-L at the forefront of this field. Initially, he served a joint appointment as Chair of the Computer Science Program and director of the Computer Center, retiring in 1987 as director of the Computer Center. Combining his passion for education with his new conviction to advance computer technology, he created La Crosse Area Computers in Education (LACE), an outreach program that placed computer terminals connected by phone lines in classrooms throughout Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois.

After his retirement, Jack founded the Digital Duffers club, a group of retired faculty members who affectionately described themselves as “geriatric computer buffs.” He also formed a computer consulting and troubleshooting business that he pursued until the last few months of his life.

Jack and Lois made their home in La Crosse where they raised five children: Lucinda (Bill) Patza; Jean Storlie (Jay Harkness); Barbara (Rich) Cooper; John (Kathy) Storlie; and Christine Storlie.

Jack loved music and taught himself to play guitar, piano, harmonica, and accordion, and often entertained family and friends around the campfire playing guitar and singing folk songs. He also enjoyed spending time at their family cabin in northern Wisconsin, where he loved to hunt and fish.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, Roger Storlie, and sister, Betty (Storlie) Barton. He is survived by his wife, Lois; children; grandchildren, (Jenny (Patza) Crow; Abigail, Eleanor, and Jackson Storlie Harkness; Cory and Andrew Cooper; Clara (Storlie) Ping; Grace and Benjamin Storlie; Aksel Schuldes); and great-grandchildren (Ryder and Norah Crow). He is also survived by siblings Beverly West, Robert (Fern) Storlie, Dona (Marvin) Bunny, Susan (Dennis) Grubisch, and Charles (Terrie) Storlie.

A Celebration of Life Ceremony will be 11 a.m. on Saturday at the UW-L Cleary Alumni Center. Following a brief program, the family invites guests to join them for a light lunch and to share memories of time spent with Jack.

The family wishes to thank the caring and capable staff of Gundersen Clinic and Gundersen Lutheran Hospital who helped him and his family through his illness and passing. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made either to the “John Storlie Scholarship in Computer Science” at UW-La Crosse Foundation or to the “Staff Appreciation” fund at the Gundersen Lutheran Foundation.