Lester Wilbrecht, passed away October 20, 2019, at the age of 105. He was a pioneer in miniaturizing hearing aids and founder of Wilbrecht Electronics.
Growing up on a Minnesota farm and educated at the North Dakota State School of Science, Les became an electrical engineer in the hearing aid industry in 1943. In 1948, he and two colleagues started a new hearing aid company. While there, he was credited as the first person to design and produce a transistorized commercial product in the US - the first in-the-ear hearing aid.
In the hearing aid industry, the smaller and more inconspicuous the hearing aid the better.  Les realized that his designs were limited by the relatively large size of available volume controls and thought there would be a good market for micro-miniature components.  In 1956 he started Wilbrecht Electronics and developed what for decades were the smallest precision electro-mechanical components on the world market.  Over the years, Wilbrecht Electronics grew with a range of precision components for the medical, aerospace, and instrumentation markets.
In 1979, Wilbrecht Electronics established an assembly factory in Huron and over the years added additional capabilities and product lines. In the 1980’s, the Huron factory became a key manufacturer of precision components for a wide range of industries and received NASA certification. The Huron business was sold in 2009, and continued its operation in Huron until 2018.
At the time of his death, Les was living in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico with his wife Jane.  He is survived by a daughter, two sons, three grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
Submitted by Jon Wilbrecht  (son)