DAVID JOHN SOUTH

David John South, 65, of Falls Church, Virginia, passed away on Tuesday, August 23, 2005, in Falls Church of complications resulting from a Chrone’s (sic) Disease.

He was born November 30 1939, in Malad, Idaho, to John William and Norma Williams South. He was their second child and first son. Named after his grandfather, David Asbury South, whom we all called “PAPPY”, they became very close. Being the first son, and born to Idaho farmers, David became involved in farm work and drove the tractor at the early age of six or seven, and continued to work with his father and grandfather until he graduated from high school in 1958 with Valedictorian honors.

He enrolled at Utah State University at Logan, Utah, in the fall of 1958 majoring in electrical engineering. He was also interested in becoming an Air Force Pilot. He got special permission to enroll in ROTC while taking the electrical engineering program as most students would not be able to handle both programs at the same time. He would spend his summers working in Boulder, Colorado for the Air Force in an internship program. He graduated from USU in the spring of 1962 with Phi Cappa Phi honors. Shortly therafter he finished ROTC and received a commission of 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force. Sometime before, he decided that astronautics would be a better field of study than navigator. Soon he would understand why, and see the Lord’s hand in making this decision.

He married Okrey Tobler September 19, 1061, in the Logan LDS Temple. That summer they moved to Boulder, Colorado, to continue his summer internship there, and in the fall moved to Dayton, Ohio, to work on his Masters Degree in Astronautics a Wright Patterson Air Force Base. In 1964 he graduated from the Air Force Institute of Technology with a Masters Degree in Astronautics.

Their small family moved to the Los Angeles, California, area in 1964 where David worked for the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Organization. He was project officer and directed planning studies on manned space systems and analyses of Soviet space operations and US space-tracking capabilities. May 1969 they moved back to Dayton, Ohio, to begin working on a PhD in Aerospace Engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology. In 1973 he received his Doctorate in Advanced Mathematics, Engineering Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics with Nuclear Physics. In other words, he was a full-blown rocket scientist. During this time David worked for the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory. He was the Flying Qualities Group leader and conducted research on the application of optimal guidance theory to lifting reentry vehicles, such as the design of the current space shuttle.

In July, 1976, their family moved to Falls Church, Virginia, to begin work in the Defense Intelligence Agency. His assignment was Intelligence Analyst and he directed the production of scientific and technical intelligence on foreign space systems. He was the DIA representative to the Space systems Subcommittee of the director of Central Intelligence/Weapon and Space systems Intelligence Committee at the Pentagon. He presented briefings on foreign space systems to high-level individuals and groups including the Secretary of Defense, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, congressional committee and staff and other government agency personnel.

From July 1980 to April 1986, he completed his career in the Air Force working for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. He retired with the rank of Lt. Colonel. After Air Force Retirement, he worked for Booz-Allen & Hamilton, working with the intelligence community defining ballistic threats from the former Soviet Union, the People’s Republic of China, and any other country capable of threatening the United States or its allies. He worked on the projects commonly referred to as “Star Wars” by the media. Because of his poor health he retired in May, 2002.

During the 1980’s David became an avid participant in river rafting. He included on many river trips with his children, John, Alan or Susan. Although David’s health became worse, he enjoyed temple work and loved visits from his children and grandchildren, in whom he took great delight. He was active in the LDS church his entire life, and very faithful in his many callings, with his very special wife at his side.

David is survived by his wife, Okrey of Falls Church, Virginia; children: John(Nayle) of Oak Hills, Virginia; Kerri (Courtney) Goeltzenleuchter of Ft. Collins, Colorado; Alan (Rebecca) of Falls Church, Virginia; Susan(Alex) Mattheus of Burleson, Texas; eight grandchildren; as sister, Shirley Bills of Malad; and two brothers, Terrel South of West Valley City, Utah; and Lamont South of Bountiful, Utah. He was preceded in death by his parents and both sets of grandparents.

Funeral services were held Saturday, August 27. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military rites. Condolences can be sent to the family at Money and King Funeral Home: www.moneyandking@aol.com.