Captain James A. Luper, USN (Ret.)

Captain James A. Luper, USN (Ret.) passed away on November 28, 2022 of acute myelogenous leukemia in Gaithersburg, MD. He was 83 years old. Born August 6, 1939 in Austin TX, Jim also spent his growing years in Rochester NY and Iowa City IA, graduating from Iowa City High School in 1957. In high school, he was active in sports (football, basketball and golf) and music (band and orchestra). Jim entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1957, where he was a varsity football player, company commander, and graduated in 1961. After graduation, he reported for flight training in Pensacola FL and Corpus Christi TX, where he received his pilot wings in May 1963.

During his 23 years of active duty in the Navy, Jim served operational tours in patrol squadrons at Moffett Field CA and Barbers Point HI, deploying to Alaska, Japan, Philippines, Thailand and Okinawa. Shore duty included: engineering test pilot at the Naval Test Pilot School and the Naval Air Test Center, both at Patuxent River MD; Naval War College, Newport RI; U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels, Belgium; Naval Material Command, Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, The Pentagon, all three in Washington DC. He earned a Master’s of Science degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California during his Pentagon tour. Jim retired from the U.S. Navy in 1984 as a Captain.

After active duty, Jim worked for consulting companies supporting Department of Defense activities. In 2011, he retired from full-time work and resided in Falls Church, VA.

Jim is survived by his wife of 36 years, the former Patricia Adele Gooding of Oakton VA and step-daughter and son-in-law Deborah and Fabio Rincon, and grandchildren Jonathan and Sofia; daughters Kelly Stewart and Amy Susi; son Andy; grandchildren Conor, Austin, Ben, Maren, Claire, Jack and Emily; and sister Frances E. Potter of Lucerne, IA.

Jim will be inurned on January 18, 2023 at 2 PM in the US Naval Academy’s Columbarium, Annapolis, MD. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the US Naval Academy Foundation, Athletic Excellence Fund, 25 Maryland Ave., Annapolis MD 21401, https://navysports.com/sports/2022/7/25/the-fund-for-athletic-excellence.aspx?path=me.