Russell Medkeff, computer consultant, WWII veteran

Russell J. Medkeff, 90, of Devon, a computer consultant, natural-foods store owner, and decorated World War II veteran, died Feb. 2 at home.

Mr. Medkeff grew up in Ohio, where his mother, Rebecca, had been a leading suffragette, and in Ontario, Canada, and Michigan.

Drafted into the Army in January 1941, he was on one of the first troop ships dispatched to the Pacific after Pearl Harbor, and spent four years overseas.

While in the Army, he developed an antenna for use in communication in the jungle and was awarded a Bronze Star Medal. In 1944, he participated in the liberation of the Philippines. He never forgot the faces of the starving children, said his daughter, Deborah.

After his discharge, Mr. Medkeff earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Akron, where he met his future wife, Ellen Raw. He received a master's degree in engineering from the University of Wisconsin.

In the 1950s, Mr. Medkeff worked for Univac, the developer of the first commercial computer, in Philadelphia. Later, as an engineer for a government contractor, he used computer technology to help design an innovative teardrop hull for the Navy submarine Albacore, launched in 1953.

For many years, Mr. Medkeff was an independent computer consultant. Then, for almost a decade in the 1980s and 1990s, he operated a natural-foods store in the Strafford Farmers' Market.

Mr. Medkeff served on advisory committees for Tredyffrin Township and for the Chester County Council, Boy Scouts of America. He wrote about his memories of the Depression and World War II to share with his family, his daughter said. In 1984, he and his wife visited the Philippines for the 40th anniversary of its liberation from the Japanese.

Mr. Medkeff enjoyed travel and woodworking and was an expert handyman, his daughter said. He never had to hire an electrician or a plumber, she said, and used his skills to help neighbors.

In addition to his daughter, he is survived by a son, John, and two grandchildren. His wife died in 2007, and a daughter, Julie, died in 1959.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. March 2 at Main Line Unitarian Church, 816 S. Valley Forge Rd., Devon.

Donations may be made to UNICEF, 125 Maiden Lane, New York, N.Y. 10038.