James "Jim" Lee Splawn

James Lee Splawn, 90, of Huntsville, Alabama, passed away peacefully at his home on March 5, 2024. Visitation will be on Thursday, March 7th from 4:00-6:00 PM at First Baptist Church, 600 Governors Drive, Huntsville AL in the Sanctuary. The service will be held Friday, March 8th at 1:00 PM with visitation beginning at 12:00 noon.

Jim was born in Upton, Kentucky to Grover Willie Splawn and Annie Lancaster Splawn. He graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering. He retired in 1984 after 23 years with NASA, working at the Neutral Buoyancy Simulation training astronauts for the Skylab Missions, Apollo Lunar Landing Program, and Space Shuttle Main Engine. Following his NASA career, he was a successful small business entrepreneur including SpaceCo Electric. After selling SpaceCo in 1988, he returned to the Aerospace & Defense industry at Boeing for 21 years in Business Development. He was an active member of First Baptist Church since 1961. His community involvement included Rotary, Gideons, Huntsville Solid Waste Authority, Huntsville Aerospace Marketing Association, Marshall Retiree Association, Association of U.S. Army, and the Huntsville Board of Zoning Adjustments.

Survivors include his wife of 68 years, Jo Ann Helton Splawn; three children, Mike (Kelly) Splawn of Chattanooga, Le-Ann (Jeff) Little of Birmingham, and Mark (Tammy) Splawn of Huntsville, eight grandchildren, Samuel Splawn, Julia Splawn, Claire (Isaac) Woodard, Lauren (Stephen) Collins, JoAnna (Andrew) Feldewerth, Rachel (James) Clyburn, Ben Splawn (fiancé Hannah Jones), and Hannah (Danny) Perez, eight great-grandchildren, two sisters, Patricia (Fred) McNatt of North Augusta, SC and Sibyl (Tommy) Carmichael of Chattanooga. Jim was preceded in death by his parents and older brother Roland Splawn.

In lieu of flowers the family respectfully requests memorial contributions be made to the Space Exploration Wall of Honor at The U.S. Space and Rocket Education Foundation, 1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL 35805 or online at https://bit.ly/jimsplawn.