In Memory: Dri-Air founder Charles F. Sears dies at 78
Charles F. Sears, founder and president of Dri-Air Industries Inc., died Aug. 5 at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer.
He was born in Goshen, Mass., and after earning a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Northeastern University in Boston, he went on to earn a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.
After college, he and his wife moved to Hong Kong, where he started up and managed a factory for several years. When the couple returned to the U.S., he began his career in the plastics industry, including stints with Polymer Machinery, Automated Assemblies and Nelmor. Sears, known to everyone as Charlie, started East Windsor, Conn.-based Dri-Air Industries in 1985. The company manufactures resin dryers, blenders and material- handling systems.
He had more than 40 years of experience designing and manufacturing drying systems and was acknowledged as an expert in the industry. Sears held several patents, and was named a member of the Plastics Pioneers Association in 2015.
Sears is survived by his wife of 55 years, Esther (Snow) Sears; daughter Wendy O'Seep; son Jason Sears; and four grandchildren. Dri-Air Industries is a family-owned firm, with Esther Sears managing the company's accounting and Jason Sears managing operations.
The Sears family requests that those who wish to honor him make a donation in his memory, either to the UMass Lowell Plastics Scholarship Fund or the Syracuse University Library's Plastics Collection.