Joseph Burton Eggert

Joseph Burton Eggert passed away on May 9, 2023, after battling kidney cancer since last June. He faced his diagnosis with courage and optimism and never gave up the fight. He spent every moment engaging in the activities he enjoyed with the people he loved and that loved him. He passed away, at home, with his wife and sons at his side.

Joe was born on October 9, 1957, in Columbus, Mississippi to Frances Daves and Charles William Eggert, Sr. He spent most of his childhood in Houston, Texas along with his three brothers and one sister. From a young age, Joe was a doer. He began with paper routes and fast-food jobs and put himself through the University of Texas at Austin by selling ads for the Daily Texan and hanging wallpaper. While at UT, he met and married the love of his life, Leslie. After graduating from UT Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Advertising in 1980, he began work in Dallas, Texas at the Bloom Agency doing product research.

The successful launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-1) in 1981 reawakened his love of aviation (he obtained his private pilot's license in high school) and prompted him to go back to school for Engineering. He graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with High Honors in 1987 and got his Master of Engineering and Technology Management at Washington State University in 2008. He spent his engineering career working for General Dynamics in Fort Worth, Texas on the F-16 fighter jet, for Rockwell and Boeing on Space Shuttle and Space Station Operations in Houston, Texas and for Boeing on the 787 and 777X airliner development programs in Seattle, Washington.

In his free time, and in retirement, Joe continued to be a doer. He was an avid runner, participating in a number of Houston Marathons. He enjoyed many activities with his sons, Steven and Mark, including scouting, woodworking, car renovations, computer building, exploring art museums, watching hockey games and cheering on the Texas Longhorns. He put his entrepreneurial skills to work in a couple early internet businesses and, most recently, as a Powered Parachute Flight Instructor. Over the years, Joe and Leslie were able to travel the US and overseas for some great adventures--from Alaska to the Florida Keys, various countries in Europe, and an amazing safari in Kenya.

He is survived by his wife, Leslie, their son Mark Eggert and his wife Andrea, their son Steven Eggert, his mother Frances Eggert, his brother Michael Eggert, his brother Richard Eggert and his wife Sharon, his sister Dianne Broyles and her husband Larry, his sister-in-law Cindy Eggert and numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his father, Charles Eggert, Sr., his brother, Charles Eggert, Jr., and his sister-in-law Mary Eggert.

A memorial service will be held on May 31, 2023, at 10:00 am at Memorial Oaks Cemetery at the Texas Liberty Chapel, 13001 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77079 with a reception following nearby at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, St. Jude Hall, 625 Nottingham Oaks Trail, Houston, TX 77079.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Joe's name to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital https://www.stjude.org