Roger James Ryburn

Roger James Ryburn, age 88, passed away peacefully on Monday, June 30, 2025.

Roger was born on January 10, 1937, in Erwin, TN, as the oldest child to Mary and Jack Ryburn. He graduated from Unicoi County High School (Erwin, TN) in 1955 and graduated from Tennessee Tech University in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Roger met his wife, Loretta, during college and were married on January 30, 1960 at First Presbyterian Church in Shelbyville, TN.

Roger started his career at NASA in Huntsville, AL, working on the J-2 rocket engine for the Saturn 5 rocket. He received a letter of commendation for his efforts from Wernher Von Braun. Throughout his career, he worked for the Army, Department of Energy and Tennessee Valley Authority.

Roger was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge and was a Church Elder. He was in ROTC during college and served as a Second

Lieutenant in the Army. Throughout his life, he did a lot of volunteer work including food pantry volunteer at his church, Huntsville Jaycees and MendedHeart volunteer at Oak Ridge Methodist Hospital. He enjoyed watching UT sports, was an avid golfer, bowler and tennis player. He and Loretta traveled extensively during retirement, visiting Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and several countries in Europe.

Roger is preceded in death by his parents, Mary and Jack Ryburn, his sister Dorothy and his wife, Loretta, of 61 years.

Roger is survived by his son Jim (Donna) Ryburn; his daughter Deborah (Chris) Miller; his grandchildren, Laura, Karen (Correy), Anna and Audrey (Amber).

A Visitation for Roger Ryburn will be held on July 10, 2025 at Mott-McKamey Funeral Home, 1017 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. A service will follow the visitation at 7:00 p.m. A graveside service will be held the next day, July 11, at 1:00 p.m. at Evergreen Cemetery in Erwin, TN.

Mott-McKamey Funeral Home in Oak Ridge, TN is handling arrangements.