Jack Lewis Stahl

Jack L. Stahl, of San Diego, passed away Friday (January 8, 2016) at Sharp BonitaView Hospice Residence after a short illness.

He was born April 7, 1931 in Long Beach, California, a son to the late Earl and Lela (Lewis) Stahl

In Jack’s own words, he was born just in time for the great depression, and his first few years were a mixture of rented houses, new schools, and homemade toys. Then the Second World War filled him with a zest for patriotism and a passion for airplanes. He was too young for that war, but he was just right for the next one, in a place called Korea. After a three-year enlistment in the Army, there was a series of menial jobs and community colleges. Then a two-year course at Northrop Institute of Technology earned him a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering and launched him on a forty-year career in aerospace engineering.

Jack’s resume listed Aerojet General, North American Aviation, Boeing, Lockheed, Learjet, JPL, Rockwell, and Hughes. His engineering forte was aircraft structural design and analysis, and he worked on the designs of eight airplanes, four rocket vehicles, three satellites, and the Mars lander.

He was preceded in death by his parents and was married to the late Bette (Pearson) Stahl for 45 years.

He is survived by his wife of 10 years, Cassie (Brill) Stahl; two daughters, Jacqueline Stahl and Patricia (Patrick) Schenkelberg; son, Scott (Myrna) Stahl; stepdaughters, Christine (Wayne) Lamb and Maureen (Paul) Fitzgerald; granddaughters, Dayton Stahl, Kayla and Allie Schenkelberg, and Samantha Stahl; sister, Sandra Stahl of Portland, Oregon; and numerous nieces and nephews, and friends

Jack was a good man, a loving husband, and devoted father and grandfather. He will be deeply missed by all who love him.