Claude Earl Hildebrand Jr.

Claude Earl Hildebrand, Jr.
Feb. 27 1942 - June 5, 2025
Claude Earl Hildebrand, Jr. was born in Comfort, Texas on February 27, 1942 to Claude Earl Hildebrand and Margaret Agold Hildebrand. He attended the Comfort Schools, graduating in 1962 as a National Merit Scholar.
Since he had been fascinated by airplanes and space since elementary school, he attended The University of Texas in Austin where he earned a Doctorate Degree in aerospace engineering. He received the very first NASA Fellowship Award, working at NASA in Houston. His professional career was spent at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA specializing in interplanetary space flight navigation. He worked on missions to the moon, Venus, Mars, and Saturn. He was part of a team that worked on combined missions with the French and Russian space agencies, which involved travel to Paris and Moscow. He came home with some interesting stories of travel in the Soviet Union at that time.
On June 5, 1965 he married Mary Ann Seidensticker. In addition to his wife, Claude is survived by one son, Jason Daniel Hildebrand of Comfort. Four grandchildren: Daniel Alex Hildebrand and wife Josey of Comfort. Slade O'Ryan Hildebrand of Pueblo, CO, Austen Santana and wife Franki of Harper, Jenneye Johnson and husband Lane Smith of Harper. Six great grandchildren. Two sisters: Jessie Ann Bohnert of Clearwater, Florida, and Karen Ann Dolezal and husband Mike of Fredericksburg.
Private services will be held at a later date.
Funeral arrangements under the direction of the Schaetter Funeral Home
Expressions of sympathy may be sent to www.schaetter.com