Jon Charles Axford, 67, passed away Tuesday, August 30, 2011, formerly of Tampa, Florida. Jon was a gifted intellectual, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the University of South Florida in 1968. His high academic achievements and experience awarded him a vital team member position in the space program at the Manned Spacecraft Center, better known as NASA. His journey with NASA began in the Co-Operative Space Work Study Program in 1963. Jon was employed full time in 1968. He was assigned to the Flight Procedures Branch, Flight Crew Support Division. He was responsible for the development and evaluation of piloting procedures for the Lunar Module, mission analysis of the rendezvous phase and conducting pilot briefings in these areas. He was directly responsible for determining both analytically, and through the use of pilot-in-the-loop simulations, backup guidance and control modes for the pilot to follow in the event of primary system failure. His dedication to the work at NASA earned him many commendations and awards, as well as special thanks and recognition from the Apollo astronauts, themselves. He retired from NASA in 1999. An engineer at heart, he never gave up is passion for "tinkering" and "seeing how things worked." Jon was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Florence Axford, Tampa FL., his sister, Joan Guerra, Pikeville, TN. He is survived by his brother, Kenneth Dean Axford, Bucyrus, KS., sister, Elizabeth (Betty) Tomlinson, Lakeland, Fl., brother-in-law, Salvador "Sammy" Guerra, Pikeville, TN., special friends, LeRoy, Irene, Steven, and Joseph Villarreal, several nieces and nephews and his beloved cat, Cato. Jon will be remembered for his generosity and kindness. He will be deeply missed by all those who loved him, numerous friends and extended family in Houston. A memorial service to celebrate Jon's life will be held on Saturday, September 10, at three o'clock in the afternoon at Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home. For those desiring, memorial contributions can be made to Veteran's for Peace (www.veteransforpeace.org), Orange Show Center for Visionary Art (www.orangeshow.org) or the Green Party (www.hcgp.org).
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18