ROBERT RAE

RAE, Lt. Col. USAF Ret., Robert Edward

Lt. Col. Robert Edward Rae USAF Ret., 99, resident of Fairborn, OH, and native of Sparks, NV, passed away August 5, 2021. A Memorial Service will be held honoring his 100th birthday on Sunday, October 17, at the Rona Community Church, 1082 Rona Parkway, Fairborn from 2 PM to 3 PM. While serving at Cape Canaveral in 1962, he was named Launch Controller for Astronaut John Glenn's first American orbit of the earth, overseeing all phases of the Atlas rocket preparation and launch. He also served as flight engineer on over thirty B-29 missions during World War II. He was a graduate of the University of Nevada. An active member of Fairborn United Methodist Church, he was an avid supporter of Native American youth, Cumberland College, and United Theological Seminary. In his spare time, he was a golfer, square dancer, and beekeeper. He was preceded in death by wives Marian Holcomb Rae and Connie Larrick Rae and sister Betty Rae Reamey, and is survived by two nieces, a nephew, and a stepson. He donated his body to medical science at Wright State University.