Ludwig Luft passed away in Acton, MA, on September 11, 2024, at the age of 97. After living in Lincoln, MA for 61 years, he and his wife Anne had moved to a senior residence in Acton the previous year.

Ludwig was born on November 9, 1926 in L'wow, Poland, in the formerly Austrian region of Galicia (now Ukraine). His prosperous Jewish family chose to educate him in multi-ethnic public schools, giving him knowledge of language and cultures that likely helped him survive World War II. Ludwig escaped to Hungary in 1943 and resumed his education at the secondary and university levels; he was in Budapest at the end of the war, including the 50 day siege there. In 1946 he enrolled at Frankfurt University to study chemistry, taking a leave in 1948 to serve in Israel as a foreign volunteer. Back in Frankfurt to complete his studies, he met his future wife, Anne, in 1950. On receiving his degree, he immigrated to the U.S. in January 1952.

In his first 10 years in the U.S., Ludwig lived in seven states (Minnesota, Kansas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and Massachusetts). He earned a PhD in physical chemistry and taught at the University of Miami for two years, before finding work in industry, notably several management jobs with General Electric. After moving to Lincoln in 1962, with Anne and their two young children, he founded Luft Instruments to protect against further moves. His invention, the Model 77 controller, was used for a wide range of process control applications; it was the heart of the Luft automatic pH titration system, an innovation when manual titration was the standard method.

Ludwig had a thirst of knowledge and energy to explore. He spoke six languages and loved to recite poetry in all of them. A highlight of his student years was a motorcycle trip over the Alps to Rome. In retirement, he and Anne traveled through the U.S., Europe, and Israel, often visiting family abroad. He returned to formal learning at the Harvard Institute of Learning in Retirement and Harvard Extension School, finding a passion for history.

Ludwig is survived by his wife of 71 years, Anne-Dore (nee Franz), his son Frederick/Fritz (Victoria), daughter Naomi Cameron (John), grandsons Jeffrey (Rachel) and Stephen, and great-grandson Jackson.

Private interment will be held at Lincoln Cemetery.

Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord.