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Roy Estess Obituary
Surviving his death are his wife, Zann Willoughby Estess; his two children: Stephen A Estess (Cari) of Petal, Mississippi; and Mauri L. McKay (Marc) of Ridgeland, Mississippi. Three grandchildren: Andrew Simmons Estess; Stephen Conner Estess; and Lauren Kathryn McKay. He is also survived by one brother, Ted L. Estess (Sybil) of Houston, Texas.
Mr. Estess was graduated in 1956 from Tylertown High School. He received a B.S. Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Mississippi State University and an MBA from Harvard University. His career spanned 37 years with NASA, during which time he served as the Director of the Johnson Space Center and retired as the Director of the Stennis Space Center.
Memorials may be made to the Boy Scouts of America, PBAC, Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
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Memories and Condolences
for Roy Estess
Sybil Estess
July 25, 2010
This message is a CORRECTION: My entry did not get all printed. ROY ESTESS was my brother-in-law for nearly 44 years. He was a great relative, as well as a most successful career man, a fact that has been much mentioned and celebrated. He was a dear brother to my husband, Ted, and a good only uncle to my son, Barrett. Roy loved his two dear children, and adored all his three grandchildren: two boys and one little four-year-old girl. He was a faithful husband to Zann for 53 years, and a most caring son to his parents, especially when they were old, infirm, and dying. He was loving to Zann's brother, who died last year, and her sister who died some 25 years ago, and her mother. He was rather a patriarch to about 17 cousins on the Estess side of the family, and one cousin, Sharon, on his mother's side. He was truly a "related" and loving man.
Sybil Estess, spouse of Ted Estess, brother of Roy
July 24, 2010
Roy Estess was my brother-in-law for nearly 44 years. He was fun-loving,
musical
July 11, 2010
My husband, Edward C. Snow, worked with Mr. Estess until Ed retired, but when we went to Mr. Estess' retirement, Ed barely remembered him due to his alzheimers. Ed had previously told me that Mr. Roy was a very good and nice man. On behalf of my dearly departed husband, I extend my deepest sympathy to the family. Margie Snow
Tom Kelly
July 4, 2010
Roy Estess was one of the finest men I have ever known. He took time out of his busy schedule to become a personal friend and mentor to my son Tavish. He was also Tavish's Eagle Scout Advisor. Thank you Roy for all that you did for my family as well as our great country. We will all miss you. Tom Kelly (Picayune, MS)
Candy Guess
June 30, 2010
I am so privileged to have known Mr Roy, every time i meet him anywhere, i get a big hug from him. My deepest sympathy for Ms Zann, Andy, Maury and the grandchildren...Jim & Candy Guess (Carriere, Ms.)
Bill Everett
June 30, 2010
Andy, I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your dad. I will keep your family in my prayers during this difficult time
Don and Rosie Clark
June 30, 2010
Mr. Estes was very kind to my son, Don Clark, Jr. (Doni) when he sang at some of the events at NASA. He was a kind and giving man and good to others. May he rest in peace! Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. God Bless All!
Richard King
June 29, 2010
With deep sympathy for Roy's family. I remember Roy Estess as a fine person. Guided by the principles of the Bible, he was always friendly, slow to anger and never raised his voice to anyone. It was an honor for me to work at Stennis Space Center with Roy as Center Director. I remember him in his 'All Hands' meetings, annual Awards ceremonies, greeting astronauts and other dignitaries, annual budget review meetings, his Center Director Program Review meetings, and countless other events. Roy was highly respected throughout the Agency and in his local community. The world needs more Roy Estess type people. Richard King, NASA Retired
Chris & Hope Rhodes
June 29, 2010
I did not have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Estess, but I have had the privilege to work with his son, Andy, for the past 4 years. Also,I have had the pleasure of getting to know his grandson, Drew, this year. I'm sure Andy and Drew are a reflection of Mr. Estess himself, which indicates to me this family possess a lot of integrity, love, and respect for family and all the people in their lives. My heart goes out to the entire Estess family. Hope and I will have you all in our prayers.
June 28, 2010
Although I didn't have the privilege of knowing Mr. Estess personally, I very much admire and respect his deep belief and dedication to many of the efforts and values he made important in his life; such as mentoring, education, the Space Program, and his involvement with the INFINITY project for which he, among many others, worked so hard to help make a reality. Mr. Estess will certainly be missed. May God help console those most close to him. My most sincere condolences to all who loved and admired him.
~Shawna Henry, Gulfport, Mississippi
Gerald Flanagan
June 28, 2010
Roy was a friend, a mentor, a source of stability during troubled times. His advice on career decisions was always right. There weren't many like him, and I count it a blessing to have known him and to have worked with him. All he touched are better for it. My prayer is for God's grace on those he leaves behind.
Cheryl Bennett
June 28, 2010
I was so saddened to hear of the passing of Mr. Estess. He was a great man,who had vision unlike any other I have encountered. He had a love for NASA and a belief in what the Agency was doing that was realized in all that he did or planned to do. I am so blessed for having known him and for the many opportunities and programs he supported at Stennis Space Center that I have had the privilege of being a part of. In the early 90's we did a Community Involvement Program in the Delta called "Track to the Future" which was a major success. He wanted to bring the Space Program to the many in the Delta who did not have the opportunity to experience it first hand and that he did for two weeks accross 8 counties! His accomplishments are many and his mpact on all that had the fortune to work and associate with him on all level will be long remembered and felt! He will be greatly missed but remembered for many years to come, as he is a vital part of Stennis Space Center's history, accomplishments and it's future.
Randy Stone
June 28, 2010
Roy was always one of my heroes in the space program. We worked together off and on for almost 20 years. I was extremly proud when he asked me to be his deputy when he took over as the Director of the Johnson Space Center. He was a great leader, a true gentelman, and a good friend. My wife and I have his family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
June 28, 2010
Dear Family of Roy Estess,
As a fellow Center Director and close colleague, I came to know how talented and committed he was to his family and to his Nation. He is a true hero of the United States of America for his contributions to the greatest exploration venture of mankind--the exploration of space. He was a rare man with enormous leadership and technical abilities, as well as a high regard for his team members.
May God bless you, his beloved family, in this very difficult time as we all mourn his loss.
Kenneth J. Szalai
former Director, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
Anthony Taconi
June 28, 2010
My deepest sympathy to Roy's family and to his extended Stennis family.
Roy Estess was a great man and a great leader. He loved his community and Stennis Space Center and worked tirelessly for both. He will be missed.
June 28, 2010
Roy was my first Scout Master and it was because of his guidance, motivation and direction that I reached the level of Eagle Scout. He remained a friend throughout my life. His integrity and the values that he instilled in me as a young Boy Scout have served as my foundation. I can only imagine how many other young scouting lives he influenced. My thoughts and prayers go out to Zann, Stephen and Mauri. Roy was truly a special person and will be missed by many. With Much Love, Michael Blenis
Lon Miller
June 28, 2010
Roy was a friend and mentor to me and my family for many years both professionally and personally. From him I learned how to be a better manager and my wife and I learned how to raise a daughter! Roy's diplomatic approach to complex problems served this nation well and brought people together rather than becoming enemies. We will miss him. Lon and Michele Miller, Houston, Texas
PC Cinnella
June 28, 2010
The extended family at the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Mississippi State University is saddened by the passing of Mr. Estess. He was a true gentleman. Our thoughts and prayers go to the immediate family.
Edward Frankle
June 28, 2010
I worked with Roy for many years; at Stennis, at Johnson and at NASA HQ in Washington, DC. He was a prince of a man, and one of the most thoughtful, talented, and decent men I met in my career. After my retirement in 2002, I am sorry to say we did not keep in touch, but I will miss him nonetheless.
Shelly Campbell
June 28, 2010
I will be eternally grateful to Mr. Roy. If it weren't for him I would not be where I am today. I will miss seeing his smiling face. He was an awesome person and will be greatly missed. My thought and prayers go out to Ms. Zann and family.
Daniel Shultz
June 28, 2010
I worked at Stennis for 3 years and had the chance to get to know Roy. In the late 90s Stennis had more projects than they could really work but we made it happen and I think we were able to because of Roy's technical and people skills. I was the project manager for the Delta IV Static Fire project and late one summer day I was walking the B2 test stand and who did I see doing the same thing but Roy. I had lunch with Roy when I first transferred to Stennis because he wanted to meet the new employees and get to them. Well, he not only remembered me but knew the other projects I had worked on before the Delta IV. We had a wonderful chat about testing and his experiences as an engineer; his love and commitment to the Space Program and its people really shown through. Roy was one of those truly unique individuals who could talk technical, create a vision and then lead the team while maintaining a personal relationship with everyone on that team. He was always available for a chat and would help anyone with a life or career issue. He believed in people and bringing out the best in everyone. My life is better off from knowing Roy and I thank God that he puts people like this into our lives to help us grow and become better people.
Kyle Herring
June 27, 2010
Roy Estess was a good man. What's the definition of a good man? One who does good for people without knowing; with care and passion and with a true feeling that it is right. Mr. Estess treated everyone with respect and admiration and thus shall always be remembered as having those qualities himself. He was a good man. The word is so simple, but for those many of us he touched, the definition has a very broad meaning.
June 27, 2010
...Roy was a man with credibility, high integrity, and an unmatched gentleman-ship...I'm so very glad I got to enjoy his leadership during his brief period as Director of the Johnson Space Center...his spirit and soul must have been called away for other duty...
Milt Heflin
Associate Director
Johnson Space Center
Emilio Perez Fernandez
June 27, 2010
Sorry.
Janice LaMunyon-Boone
June 27, 2010
We are so very sorry. This world was a better place with Roy in it. My Daddy thought the world of him and cherished their friendship.
Roscoe Nicholson
June 27, 2010
I am very proud to have known and worked with Roy Estess on both the Saturn and Space Shuttle programs. He was a great asset to both of those programs. Roy was one of the nice people in the world. I know he will be sorely missed by all of us.
Roscoe Nicholson Slidell, La.
Dave and Stephanie Geiger
June 27, 2010
I sat down to try to describe my sense of loss for Roy, a gentle man, who was at times, a father figure, a mentor and always a friend. It is impossible to count the number of lives Roy touched with kindness and humility.
There were 3 giants that shaped my career in the space program and Roy was the giant that capped my learning experience. I learned from Roy how to engage people and their ideas in pursuit of shared visions. Most importantly, I learned how to collaborate with diverse organizations, agencies and interests to achieve goals. For this gift, I am forever thankful to Roy.
One of my most cherished memories is the day I handed Roy a check for the first ever long term commercial lease of a NASA test stand. It had never been done before, but it was a vision Roy had for the future. He had a huge smile and we laughed together talking about the long year and a half it took to get the lawyers on both sides to trust each other.
My wife Stephanie and I are heartbroken and are sending out love and prayers to Zann and the family.
JOHN BARNES
June 27, 2010
I was so sorry to hear of your loss. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help at this time.
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