Dr. John R. Glaese passed away peacefully at his home May 17, 2022. He was born in Jennings, Missouri outside St. Louis on September 6, 1942, and grew up in Cuba, Missouri. He graduated from Cuba High School and received his Bachelors, Masters, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Missouri at Rolla, all in Physics.
He served as an officer in the U.S. Army and Reserve in the Corps of Engineers, attaining the rank of Major. His first assignment as an Army officer in 1969 was to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. He had a 40+ year career in the nation’s space program, both at NASA and as a contractor. During his career, he made key contributions in the area of dynamics and control to Skylab, the Space Shuttle, Hubble Space Telescope, International Space Station, and many others. His proudest accomplishments were in the Skylab program where he developed the torque equilibrium attitude and control law that allowed Skylab to be controlled during its decent and re-entry. Another key contribution was to the dynamics of space tethers where he was considered one of the world’s foremost experts. In addition to his technical accomplishments, he served as a mentor to several generations of young engineers.
He was a devoted husband to his wife Carolyn, loving father and grandfather to his children and grandchildren, attending as many of their activities as he could. He loved sports, and was an accomplished athlete in bowling, softball, and track and field. He was a die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan and continued to cheer for them right up to his death. He loved flying and was a Certified Flight Instructor.
He is preceded in death by parents Otto and Ivy Mae Wilson Glaese, brothers David, Paul, and William, sisters-in-law Faith and Alice, and brother-in-law John Allemann. He is survived by his wife Carolyn Allemann Glaese, son Roger Marshall Glaese (Meredith), daughter Kristen Marie Kytle (David); grandchildren John David Kytle, Megan Kytle, and Marshall Glaese, sisters-in-law Caroline Glaese and Shirley Allemann; and a host of nieces and nephews.
A visitation will be held with the family at Latham United Methodist Church at 2pm on Sunday May 22. This will be followed by a memorial service at the church at 3pm. Following the memorial service, he will be buried in the Garden of Valor at the Valhalla Memory Gardens with a graveside service to be performed at approximately 5pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Latham United Methodist Church.
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