Tommy C. Bannister

Tommy was born in Sylacauga, AL and married his beautiful high school sweetheart Frances Jeanette Duncan on 04/03/1959.

Tommy is an Army Veteran and graduated from the University of Alabama. After graduating he drove to Tennessee, passing Huntsville by accident. During a hiring freeze at the Army, a NASA recruiter went to the Army recruitment office looking for mathematicians and engineers. With his degree in Physics he was hired and remained at NASA for 25 years. During his tenure at NASA he completed his Masters from University of Alabama in Huntsville in the first graduate program in Physics. While at NASA he designed experiments with silver crystals on Sky Lab, which has influenced medical and pharmaceutical research to this day. As a true southerner, he developed experiments with iced tea on Apollo XIV. In 1975 he was chosen by NASA to get his Masters of Management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Sloan Fellowship program. He took his family to Boston in 1976 and they enjoyed all the festivities of the country’s Bicentennial. After retiring from NASA he worked for many years with WYLE laboratories and Boeing. In retirement he focused on his 8 grandkids and learning as much as he could about developing his spiritual, mental and physical health. His family and anyone else who would listen got a free education in things like Christian Counseling, Bible study, Meditation, Poetry, mitochondria, and how to help elderly people choose optimal hearing aids.

He was a member of Calvary Bible Church in Huntsville, AL and was also interested in supporting Big Oak Ranch, The Hemophelia Association honoring both brothers, and Autism Society of Alabama honoring his grandson Ben.

Tommy is survived by his wife Frances Jeanette (Jean) Duncan Bannister, children: Knox Anthony Bannister (Sonua), Susan Bannister Cooper (Lance) and Scott Calvin Bannister (Marc) and eight grandchildren: Jonathan Knox Bannister, Calvin Blake Bannister, Michael Ryan Bannister, William Tsukasa Bannister, Kelsy Cooper Yoste (Scott), Corey Lance Cooper, Guy Calvin Bannister and Benjamin Baldwin Bannister.

He was preceded in death by his parents John Knox Bannister and Amanda Guy Bannister and his brothers Billy Joe Bannister and Wilbur Nelson (Cub) Bannister.

Tommy’s Celebration of Life will be held Tuesday June 14, 2022 at 11am at Curtis and Sons Funeral Home in Sylacauga, AL. with a visitation one hour prior. In lieu of flowers the family asks you to consider a gift to The Autism Society of Alabama.