Manuel Richardo Lievanos

Manuel Richardo (Rick) Lievanos of Tullahoma passed his life on January 4, 2025 (Saturday) surrounded by family at Life Care in Tullahoma at the age of 87.Rick was born in Douglas Arizona to the late Salvador and Maria Mejia Lievanos on January 24, 1937. He graduated from Douglas High School in Arizona and joined the USAF right after graduation and served four years as a B-52 Bomber Bomb/nav systems technician in the Strategic Air Command 93rd Bomb Wing, Castle AFB, Merced, California.He started his career in Product Assurance in the aerospace industry in 1961 at North American Aviation in Downey, California. He was involved in the fabrication and test of all the Apollo Program Command and Service Modules as a Quality Engineer. After conclusion of the Apollo fabrication/test program at Downey, California he transitioned into the Space Shuttle Orbiter Fabrication Program still in Downey, California.He participated in the year long dynamic vibration testing of the Shuttle Launch configuration conducted at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama. He subsequently supported the delivery of the First Shuttle Orbiter; SV103 (COLUMBIA) to the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. He was part of the team at the Cape responsible for validating Columbias thermal protection system in preparation for the first manned Shuttle Flight. He had the opportunity to witness a Shuttle Launch from the Cape and then returning to California in time to see the same orbiter vehicle land at Edwards Air Force Base, California.He was presented a FLAG which was flown aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (April 12-14, 1981) in recognition of his significant contribution he made to the success of the mission.Once the Shuttle Orbiter fabrication/test phase was completed his next assignment was in the Global Positioning System (GPS) program and special projects programs until his retirement in January 1997 from Rockwell/Boeing.Shortly thereafter, he returned as a consultant on special projects until the year 2000 when he moved to where he presently resides, Tullahoma, on a golf course, his dream, when his wife, Shirley took a transfer from Boeing Space Station Contracts and Pricing, Huntington Beach, California to Space Lab Contracts and Pricing in Huntsville, Alabama.He earned many recognitions on the Space and GPS programs including theNAVSTAR SUPER STAR AWARD on the Navstar Global Positioning System Program;SPACE SHUTTLE AWARD for his professional and dedicated performance on the Space Shuttle Program;ATL AWARD for his contribution to the Approach and Landing Test Program of the ATL flights of the Space Orbiter Enterprise;SKYLAB ACHIEVEMENT AWARD for dedicated service to the nation as a member of the Skylab Team which extended mans knowledge and capabilities in space (February 1974);ASTP AWARD for his contribution to the success of the first contribution to the success of the First International Manned Space Mission on the Apollo Soyuz Test Program (July 15-24, 1975);DELTA II GPS AWARD for contribution to first launch of GPS II - Global Positioning System - 1989;SKYLAB ACHIEVEMENT AWARD for dedicated service to the nation as member of the Skylab Team which extended mans knowledge and capabilities in space (February - 1974);PUBLIC SERVICE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD for contribution to the successful completion of the Mated Vertical Ground Vibration Test Program through personal dedication and professional skill.He was very dedicated to the Space and GPS Programs.He earned a Bachelor of Science Business Administration degree from the University of LaVerne, LaVerne, CA.He celebrated his BIG 50 by teeing it up at the home of golf, St. Andrews, Scotland. This was the first of the bi-annual trips with friends from Southern California to play the links golf in Scotland, Ireland and England until his final trip in 2007. He has played golf throughout much of the United States. He was always eager to help young people take up the golf game hoping they would enjoy the game as much as he did and gifted nieces and nephews with clubs if they showed an interest.He and his wife Shirley have enjoyed traveling throughout the United States as well as Canada, enjoying museums, concerts, arts and crafts show and even a few large zoos. They enjoyed browsing the surrounding small towns in search of unique items and just sight seeing in general.Rick is preceded in death by parents; brothers, Luis and Salvador, Jr. Lievanos; sister, Socorro M. Lievanos and sister-in-laws, Lupita and Beatrice Lievanos and brother-in-law, Glenn Searcy.He is survived by his wife, Shirley Searcy Hurley Lievanos, sister-in-laws, Barbara Ridner and Donna Brown; brother-in-laws, Doyle Searcy and Keith Searcy (Amanda); and many nieces and nephews.There are no services planned at this time.In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made to First Tee Headquarters for young golfers - (headquarters for the whole program that services all states)First Tee Headquarters13000 Sawgrass Village Circle, Bldg 4Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082Tullahoma Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Funeral Home
Tullahoma Funeral Home
401 Westside Dr
Tullahoma TN - 37388
US
(931) 455-4567 To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Manuel, please visit our Tree Store.