Robert Daniel Roesch

Robert “Jon” of Tempe, Arizona passed away Thursday, February 17, 2022. He was born on September 9, 1944 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Marjorie June Tuffli and Robert Daniel Roesch. Jon was raised by his mother’s parents in St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated high school in 1962. He attended the University of Miami in Florida, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1967.

After graduation, Jon was part of the Apollo Space program for several years. He worked at Cape Canaveral for the Chrysler corporation, doing analysis on the Saturn 1B and the escape structure for the astronauts. He then worked for Cessna and Learjet in Wichita, KS, where he specialized in structural analysis. He later took a job at McDonnell Douglas Helicopter in Mesa, Arizona. After “retirement” he continued to work as a consultant, acting as a Designated Engineering Representative (DER) of the Federal Aviation Administration until the end. Well respected in the industry, he was one of only a handful of people in the United States with authority to approve analysis of rotor blades for the FAA.

Jon was in San Antonio, Texas when he met Barbara. Dating for only a few weeks, they were married on August 13, 1971. They started their life together in Wichita, Kansas, raising two sons and a daughter. Jon was always ready for an adventure. He had a passion for racing his Porsche, and as a member of the Sports Car Club of America and Porsche Club, won several seasons in his class. He earned a pilot’s license, and just flying place to place was not enough. He flew aerobatics, doing loops, rolls, and hammerheads over the skies of Texas and Arizona. When their two boys were young, Jon and Barbara bought a hot-air balloon, which became a big part of the family’s life. He taught both sons to fly, and involved all three of his children in ballooning throughout the years. After Barbara passed in 2011, Jon, who was an avid hiker, checked off one of his bucket list items when he hiked the Grand Canyon. In 2013 he met Sarah “Sally” da Fonte, and after seven happy months of dating they were married on October 26th. They had a wonderful time travelling the country and the world, visiting places like Fiji, Jamaica, Belize, and Hawaii. Jon had many hobbies and enjoyed helping Sally with her glassmaking projects. He was a very involved dad and granddad, was always ready to laugh, and was a very good, kind man. He will be joyfully remembered and tearfully missed.

Jon was preceded in death by his Grandparents, parents, and first wife Barbara Conway Roesch. He is survived by his wife Sally da Fonte, sister Sally Bogle (Bob), and half-sisters Robbie Cary (Keith) and Eloise Sarlow (Anthony). He is also survived by his children Jonathan (Bonnie), Robert Andrew, and Katharine, step children Charna, Dara (Jeff) and Ariel (Matthew), grandchildren Laura and David, and step grandchildren Phillip, Elle, Vincent, Marlo, and Ezra.

There was a private memorial held on March 5th, 2022, and Jon’s final resting place is with Barbara at Mariposa Gardens in Mesa, Arizona.