John S. "Jack" Preisser

1941 - 2022

John Stephen "Jack" Preisser, born in Albany, NY in 1941, son of the late Jerome S. Preisser and A. Regina Campbell Preisser, passed away at home in Williamsburg, VA on July 7, 2022 at the age of 81. He was proceeded in death by his sister Mary T. Preisser. He is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Janet Males Preisser and children, John Preisser Jr (Lisa) of Chapel Hill, NC; Mark Preisser (Kathryn) of Southern Shores, NC; and Christina Preisser of Boston, MA; his brothers Kenneth Preisser (Joan) of Guilderland, NY and Joseph Preisser (Renee) of Cary, NC; his sister Jean Williams (Russell) of Colonie, NY; his grandchildren Jack, Hannah, Brigid, Clare and Maeve Preisser; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was a faithful husband, loving father, and will be dearly missed by family and friends.

Mr. Preisser graduated from Vincentian Institute in Albany, NY in 1958. He entered Siena College that fall under a full scholarship and graduated with a B.S. in Physics (magna cum laude) in 1962. He received a commission as a 2nd lieutenant in the Army Reserve. He furthered his education at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, earning a M.S. in Physics in 1964. From then until his retirement in 2000, he was employed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Hampton, VA, first as a research scientist and later as a supervisor. As a researcher, he performed experimental and analytical work in fundamental aeroacoustics and aircraft noise. He was the author and coauthor of over 50 research articles and made presentations at conferences both in the United States and abroad. He was the recipient of several NASA individual and group awards for his research accomplishments. For the last 11 years of his career, he served as Head of the Aeroacoustics Branch. In addition to his NASA career, Jack was an adjunct instructor in mathematics at Thomas Nelson Community College from 1974 to 1989.

Over the years, his favorite activities were fishing, tennis, and traveling to many locations around the world. Jack had a great love and devotion to his family. Throughout his life, he treated all people with dignity and respect. He had been a long time member of Saint Bede Catholic Church, 3686 Ironbound Road, Williamsburg, VA where a memorial Mass will be celebrated at 1:00pm on July 20. In lieu of flowers, donations in his honour to Kindred Hospice of Williamsburg would be appreciated.