Don was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Sandra Phipps Herring, son Stanley Mark, parents Otis and Leila Herring, two brothers (Otis Jr and Thurston) and one sister (Francis). He is survived by his son Steven, granddaughters Carrie, Jasmine and Lydia, great granddaughter Annabelle, his brother Robert, and Sister Nina.
Don graduated from Auburn University in 1961 and began his career with the Lockheed aerospace company as Design Engineer on the C141 and then as Senior Engineer on the C5 aircraft. He earned his Masters Degree in Industrial Management at Georgia Tech in 1979. During his 39-year career with Lockheed, he guided the development of the F-22 Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) aircraft for 11 years. In 1987, Don was assigned Chief Engineer of the ATF at the Skunk Works in Burbank, California. He also testified before congress on behalf of the project. Don finished his career with Lockheed-Martin in 2000 as Vice President of Engineering.
In 2006, he was invited to accept the Collier Trophy, one of the nation's most prestigious prizes for aeronautical development, on behalf of the Lockheed Team for the F-22 ATF project.
In his retirement, one of Don's greatest joys was hosting family reunions at their home on Lake Martin. He will be remembered by family and friends as intelligent, loving, kind, and humble.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be sent to
State Employees Credit Union (SECU) Jim and Betsy Bryan Hospice Home of UNC Health Care
in Pittsboro, North Carolina.
Steve and Samantha Herring and family invite you to join us for a virtual celebration of the lives Don and Sandra Herring. Considering the current health pandemic in the US, we appreciate your understanding of the need for this type of service.
Date and Time: Saturday, October 2, 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Time, 11:00 AM Central Time. Please join 15 minutes before the meeting is scheduled to start.
Test Call: We will hold a test call Wednesday night, Sept 29, at 7pm Eastern, 6pm Central Time, for those who wish to test their connection and become familiar with joining the meeting. The instructions listed below will apply both to the test meeting on Wednesday and the service on Saturday.
Join Zoom Meeting via Computer
Click here: https://rtiorg.zoom.us/j/99642508485?pwd=eHVGb1dlSnZTbmJoMFQ5Qi95R2YxUT09
If you have trouble clicking on the link, cut and paste it into your computer's browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari, etc)
You may be asked, "Do you want to allow this page to open 'Zoom.US'? Cancel or Allow." Click Allow.
You will then be asked if you'd like to join with video. We hope that you will click 'allow' so that others can see you.
If asked for a password, enter this number: 280291
You may then be asked to choose ONE of the audio conference options. Choose 'join with computer audio'.
Join Zoom Meeting via Phone
If you are not joining by computer, but are dialing in by phone instead, you will be asked for this information when you dial in –
Meeting ID: 996 4250 8485
Passcode: 280291
Dial in by phone using either of these numbers:
888 475 4499 US Toll-free
877 853 5257 US Toll-free
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