Richard John Kowalczyk was born in Lorain, Ohio to George and Mary Anna (Polesko) Kowalczyk. He was 88 years young! Richard grew up in Sheffield Village and graduated from Brookside High School going through all 12 grades with the same classmates. He attended college at San Diego State University majoring in Mathematics. After graduating from SDSU he had a successful career as an Aerospace Engineer with General Dynamics during which time he received his Master of Science in Business from San Diego University. Richard also worked for NASA, Hughes and Raytheon. Richard married Marlyn Carmen Romero (a Tucson native) at the Mission San Diego De Alcala on August 8, 1959. Richard and Marlyn have two daughters, Lisa and Lynette, who were born in San Diego. He relocated to Tucson with Hughes Missile Systems in 1994 and retired from Raytheon in 2004. Richard was a true "rocket scientist" beginning his career with General Dynamics working on the Atlas Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) program. He went on to NASA and was awarded for significant contribution to the Design and Development Program of the Apollo Launch Escape Vehicle and Little Joe II Launch Vehicle in the United States Manned Space Flight Program. He was a NASA Launch Test Conductor at White Sands Missile Range. Later he led the test programs for Tomahawk and Advanced Cruise Missiles for General Dynamics, Hughes and Raytheon. Before retiring he was a member of the Advanced Interceptor Technology Testbed (AIT) Capture team at Raytheon and was nominated for the Tim Moe Excellence in Business Award. Richard enjoyed the Sonoran Desert, spending time with his family, dancing with his wife and attending her yoga classes in his retirement. He also attended many class reunions in Ohio with his former classmates of 12 grades and enjoyed visiting his nephews in Sheffield Village. Favorite travel destinations include Hawaii, return trips to San Diego and visiting family in Napa Valley. Deeply loved husband and father, Richard had a generous spirit, warm sense of humor and was a man of all seasons with a deep love for God. He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years Marlyn; his daughter Lisa and her husband John Sethmann of Friend, Oregon; and his daughter Lynette of Gulf Breeze, Florida. A celebration of his life will be held in April at La Mariposa Resort.  Â
