Woodrow Jennings Travis Jr.

He was born and raised in Jackson, Miss., on Feb. 4, 1936, the son of grocery store owners. Woody originally attended Ole Miss, where he played football, and later transferred to Georgia Tech, where he earned a degree in chemical engineering in 1958. Upon graduation, he served in the U.S. Army and met his wife, Evelyn, while stationed at Fort McClellan in Anniston, Ala.

Woody was one of the original NASA engineers, starting in the early 1960s. He spent more than 40 years with the agency as an aeronautical engineer, working on every major mission from Apollo to the Space Shuttle. Most of that time was spent in Huntsville, Ala., except for a year in Titusville for the Skylab program in the early 1970s and five years in Cape Canaveral, Fla., during the early days of the Space Shuttle missions. After retiring in 2003, Woody and Evelyn moved to Birmingham to be closer to family.

Married for 59 years, Woody and Evelyn had three sons, Don, David and Scott.

Woody was a strong quiet type who never sought attention but would help out those in need. He loved his family more than anything, and the only place he wanted to travel was to visit his children. He enjoyed watching old Western movies, college football and news programs and was a big fan of Southern cooking.

He is survived by his wife, Evelyn; his three sons, Don (wife Melanie), David (wife Lori) and Scott; and three grandchildren, Landon, Payton and Barrett.

Donations can be made in his memory to his favorite charities, Boys Town or the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children.