William Myron Peacock Jr, (Bill) passed peacefully in his sleep on October 10th, 2019 at the age of 97 at Riderwood Village in Silver Spring, MD. Born Jan 1, 1922 in Rome, GA to William Myron Peacock, and Susan Bee Copeland, he grew up in a family of five children. He graduated from Rome High School in June 1939. Upon graduation he worked as a grocer, attended North Georgia Military College for a short period, and was a pipe fitter with the Atlanta Gas and Light Company.
He entered the Navy after the Pearl Harbor attack in June 1942. He was assigned to LST 357, and would steer that ship into the beaches of Salerno and Licata, Sicily, and Normandy (D Day), France to support the landing of troops and equipment under hostile and violent combat. After the war he served a short period in the US Army engaged in facility maintenance. He also received a commission as an officer in the US Air Force and was involved in weather reconnaissance and aeronautical systems projects. Bill earned a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering from Mississippi State College in June of 1956. With that degree he pursued work in aircraft guidance and antenna systems supporting projects with General Electric Corporation. In February of 1959 Bill married the love of his life, Veronica Winifred Lawson of Liverpool England. They had two sons, William Myron Peacock, III and John Edward Peacock. Bill joined the NASA team and served assignments in Vandenberg Air Force Base and Greenbelt Maryland. He was on the nation’s earliest meteorological satellite program TIROS, ITOS, and later successor projects supporting NOAA. He was a key leader in the gigantic steps the nation was making in using satellites to improve weather prediction and monitoring. Bill retired from NASA in 1992 after 45 years of government service. He enjoyed tennis, golf, and time with his wife. He is survived by his wife Veronica, sister Melissa King of Rome, GA; sons William and John and their wives Tonia and Lisa, and grandchildren Aaron, William IV, Jennifer, Lauren, Daniel, Joseph, and several great grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on November 2nd at 1130 at the Riderwood Chapel in Silver Spring, Maryland.
In lieu of flowers donations kindly accepted at, http://www.keepmemoryalive.org .
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