Jerry Leroy Shumway

Jerry Leroy Shumway passed away peacefully on 10 March 2026 after a long illness. He is survived by his sons Martin Shumway of McLean, Virginia, and Scott Shumway of Hinesburg, Vermont, and four grandchildren, by his brother Robert Shumway of Arlington, Virginia, and his family, and by his partner Janet Schweig of Herndon, Virginia, and her children.

Born on 2 June 1933 in Lyons, Nebraska, to Milton and Inez Shumway, Jerry graduated from high school there as an Eagle Scout and licensed HAM radio operator. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Nebraska, where he participated in Air Force ROTC, played clarinet in the Cornhuskers marching band, and was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. After graduating in 1955, he worked at Hughes Aircraft in Los Angeles before serving as a second lieutenant in Nagoya, Japan. He left the service as a first lieutenant and settled in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood during the height of the Beat movement.

In 1960 he married Kirsten Signy Schulz of Oslo, Norway, and together they raised their sons Martin, born in 1961, and Scott, born in 1963, in Mill Valley, California. While in the Bay Area, Jerry contributed to several pioneering engineering projects, including an early mobile telephone system. In 1969 he founded Datavision Inc. in Rockville, Maryland, which produced the first chyron generator for broadcast television. He later established Scanoptic and concluded his career at Northrop Grumman, retiring at age 73. Throughout his professional life he earned multiple patents in electrical engineering.

After Kirsten’s death in 2001, Jerry found companionship with Janet Schweig. In retirement he took up the bass and fiddle, becoming an active member of the Potomac Valley Scottish Fiddle Club and attending music festivals and camps across the East Coast. He remained in the family home in Rockville, where he enjoyed meeting friends at Starbucks, having lunch at Attman’s deli, and walking the Millennium Trail. Jerry will be remembered for his kindness and generosity.