|
Charles Lynn "Buster" Seacord Jr. , 89, died at home in Albuquerque on January 30, 2011 surrounded by his loved ones. He was cherished by family, friends and colleagues for his inquisitive mind, gentle manner and wry sense of humor. An aeronautical engineer by trade, Buster was an equally avid photographer by avocation. Born Charles Lynn Seacord, Jr. in Memphis, TN he was the single child of Lynn and Margaret Seacord. After a childhood spent absorbed in model airplanes and an education at Georgia Tech he became a bonafide 'rocket scientist'. He worked during WWII at Langley Field, Hampton, VA for NACA-the precursor to NASA. There, on the beach at Wallops Island, he and other young colleagues designed and tested experimental rockets. In Hampton he met and married NACA colleague Connie Denton and in 1949 they moved to Ft Worth, TX where, at Convair, he played an instrumental role in autopilot design of the Air Force's first supersonic bomber, the B-58. Buster and Connie had two children - Leigh, a painter and university professor, and Lynn, who has been in the information technology business for 30 years. In 1960 Buster joined Minneapolis Honeywell's Avionics Division, through which in 1965 he and family moved to Linkoping, Sweden where he directed the implementation of a flight control system for a first-of-its-kind-very short take-off and landingSwedish military aircraft, Viggen. Buster and family lived and worked in Sweden and Germany between 1965-1970. After 30 years at Honeywell he retired with Connie to Roswell, New Mexico to enjoy its slower pace and favorable climate. After losing Connie in 1993 he re-embraced film darkroom work, explored digital photography and woodworking and was a docent at the Roswell Art Museum. During his life he took over 10,000 slides and prints, capturing memorable images of friends and family and life's beauty and frailty. In 1997, through involvement in Armchair Travelers, Buster met Charlotte King of Roswell, NM. They fell in love and married in 1998. The next decade of their life together brought much mutual enjoyment, including world travel; they living life to its fullest with family and friends. In 2009 they moved to Albuquerque to be closer to their families. Charles Seacord's death leaves a void in the lives of family and friends who experienced his discerning and kind nature. He is survived by his cherished wife Charlotte; daughter and son-in-law Leigh Seacord and Chuck Crespy of Michigan; son and daughter-in-law Lynn Seacord and Catherine Master of Minnesota; and his granddaughter Alison Seacord of Minnesota; Charlotte's daughter and son-in-law Carol and Bill Cross of New Mexico; her son and daughter-in-law Charles and Bonnie King of Florida; and grandsons, Chad King of Florida and Chase King of New York. A memorial celebration will occur Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 2:30 p.m., at The Montebello, 10500 Academy Rd. NE, in Albuquerque, 294-9944. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to: Roadrunner Food Bank, rrfb.org, 247-2052; OR Animal Humane Association of NM, animalhumanenm.org, 255-5523.
|
