Bill Jones, 90, passed away Wednesday, July 24, 2024.
Bill was born in Whalleyville, where he graduated valedictorian of his high school. He married Anne Winifred Nickerson of Norfolk in 1956.
He graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and began his career in Charlottesville working for a Navy defense contractor.
He joined NASA Langley Research Center in 1969 as the landing radar altimeter and communication system engineer on the “Viking” program. The “Viking” program was the nation’s first attempt to soft land a probe on Mars to conduct scientific analysis and research of the Martian surface. Both Viking probes successfully landed in 1976 and both exceeded their mission objectives and mission life.
Bill went on to support many other projects in his 45 years at NASA. He was particularly proud to have worked in the joint NASA FAA program that developed the first onboard operational wind shear detection system for commercial aircraft, enabling pilots to detect and avoid dangerous windshear during take offs and landings.
Bill was a loving, hardworking and honorable husband, father and grandfather. He is survived by his sons, Rod Jones (Frances) of Clearlake, TX, Gary Jones of Charlotte, NC, Tony Jones (Kara) of Gloucester, VA and 5 grandchildren.
A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 3, 2024 in Bethel Baptist Church. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Burial will be private in Great Fork Baptist Church, Suffolk, VA.
