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Lionel Edward Fannin

1928 - 2020

Lionel Edward Fannin obituary, 1928-2020, Melbourne, FL

BORN

1928

DIED

2020

FUNERAL HOME

Fountainhead Funeral Home

7359 Babcock Street SE

Palm Bay, Florida

Lionel Fannin Obituary

Lionel Edward (Ed) Fannin

Melbourne - Lionel Edward (Ed) Fannin, 92, passed away November 24, 2020. He was born on June 23, 1928 to Lionel and Effie Fannin in Morehead, KY.

Ed graduated from the University of Kentucky, with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He used that training to design rockets for the Army at Redstone Arsenal (Huntsville, AL). This led to his career with NASA from its earliest days, to putting a man on the moon (as Chief, Mechanical and Propulsion Division), and into the early years of the Space Shuttle Program.

The biggest event at Redstone Arsenal was meeting his wife-to-be, Nancy Hornbuckle. After marrying, they moved to Melbourne, FL, to work for NASA. He showed his love for his family in his own way, by bravely taking a family of six on camping trips, usually with everyone in the same tent. Upon his retirement, he put his engineering skills to use by building pieces of furniture for each of his kids.

He was a member of Eau Gallie First Baptist Church. He faithfully played drums there for over 20 years, until he was 91.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Nancy, four children, Ed (Lynne) Fannin, Steve (Mary) Fannin, Ron Fannin, and Lisa Palanti, seven grandchildren, two great-granddaughters, and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, and sister, Dorothy Kash.

He is interred at Fountainhead Memorial Park in Palm Bay, FL. A memorial service is planned for Spring 2021. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ed's memory to Eau Gallie First Baptist Church (1501 W. Eau Gallie Blvd., Melbourne, FL, 32935).

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by FloridaToday from Dec. 4 to Dec. 6, 2020.

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2 Entries

Rick Weiss

January 19, 2021

I was a very young, newly hired S-1C Propulsion Engineer when I first met Mr. Fannin in 1968. He was a pioneer in the realm of launch vehicle operations and the most professional and thoughtful engineer/supervisor I've ever known. It was an honor to know and work for him. It wasn't until many decades later when I joined the NASA Alumni that I got to be reunited with Ed. We always sat together at lunch and talked about the good times and the other things, that only engineers could enjoy. I miss him and will continue to do so, but he will forever be in my heart! NASA has lost yet another of its finest pioneers. May God bless him and his family.

Al Koller

December 6, 2020

Ed was a true space pioneer, serving on launch teams for the Army Ballistic Missile Agency and NASA for many years. I was honored to know him professionally for much of that time and saw first-hand his expertise at work. He was a true gentleman and a terrific asset as someone you'd want to have on your team. He will be greatly missed by his many friends in the space program. God speed and RIP Ed.

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