Byron Dean Tapley

Byron Dean Tapley passed away peacefully in his home in Austin, Texas on Monday, June 22, 2026 at the age of 93. He was surrounded by his surviving family: his sons Mark and Craig, their wives Elizabeth and Katherine, and his grandchildren Margaret (33), Laura (29), William (25), and Ollie (13). He was preceded in death by his wife Sophie and his sisters Betty Glasscock and Carol Johnson.

Byron brought all the enthusiasm possible to both his long professional life and his time with his family and friends. He received his B.S. (1956) in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. (1958) and PhD (1960) in Engineering Mechanics from The University of Texas at Austin and the Doctor Honoris Causa (1998) from Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands. He continued working with the University of Texas until his death and held the Claire Cockrell Williams Chair Emeritus in Engineering. He served as the Chair of the Department of Aerospace Engineering from 1966 to 1977. He established the University’s orbit mechanics program in 1961 and founded the University’s Center for Space Research in 1981, serving for many years as its Director and subsequently as its Director Emeritus.

He worked on a number of groundbreaking projects of significant global scientific importance. He was instrumental in establishing the field of satellite altimetry in 1980 as a method for monitoring ocean circulation and sea level rise. He notably served as Principal Investigator for the GRACE satellite program, the first NASA mission dedicated to tracking the Earth’s gravity and global water movement and availability.

Byron had a lifelong love for snorkeling, sailing, hiking, rock climbing, and flying with his family. He sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 2004 and at 92 years old was still snorkeling and free diving off the coast in Hawaii. He enjoyed countless hours watching the ever changing landscapes and waters off his favorite beach in Maui and at his home at Lake Travis with Sophie, and in her memory after she was gone. He loved all animals, big and small, but mostly loved his family. He always showed genuine interest in listening to his loved ones talking about their own passions, and just as genuine excitement in challenging them in “42”, his favorite domino game. Byron was generous of his time and resources, quietly donating to an untold number of charities and doing what he could to support both family and colleagues through all their projects. We feel lucky to have had all the time we did with him, and would always have wished for more.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you donate to the Hawaii Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund (https://share.google/00BAbG9Qld9MoRpnI) or consider making a pledge (please contact [email protected]) to the Dr. Byron D. Tapley Endowment fund that the family plans to establish to benefit the Center for Space Research.

A viewing will be held from 4-8 pm on Thursday, July 9 at Weed-Corley-Fish, 411 Ranch Road 620 S, Lakeway, TX 78734 and a celebration of life memorial service will be held the following day (Friday, July 10) at 1 pm at The University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Space Research, 3925 West Braker Lane, Suite 200, Austin, TX 79759.