William B. Pepper

At age 87, William Burton Pepper, Jr., a former employee of Sandia Laboratories passed away on August 14, 2013 in Albuquerque New Mexico. Bill was predeceased by his wife Doris (2003). He is survived by sons Steven Jacka (Linda), Craig Dell, James Dell, and John Dell (Tamara), as well as, 4 grand daughters and 5 great grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by his relatives and friends, especially Joy Sue Parker (Lendon), her daughters Carolyn and Dana (son Julian), best friend Gary Snover and his friends at the Montebello Retirement Residence. At age 17, Bill entered the Navy in the Officers Training Program during which time he earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from Minnesota University. Following his naval career, Bill attained his Masters of Aeronautical Engineering at The University of Colorado. Afterwards, he worked for NASA, Langley Virginia in the Pilotless Aircraft Research Program followed by a long and illustrious career with Sandia Laboratories. At Sandia, Bill's research focused on aeronautical projects involving the engineering of parachutes to meet the desired trajectory and landing specifications. In 1969 Bill published a paper on Parachute Design and Performance for Supersonic Deployment and for Recovery of Heavy Loads. Later projects included working on the Sandia team which engineered the parachute for the Space Shuttle. His favorite destination during his business travels was to the island of Kauai where research testing was conducted. During his career, Bill attended conferences as a guest speaker and presenter of his research and work. Also, Bill wrote many articles about his research for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for publication in the Journal of Aircraft. The family recently learned he was known as "Kevlar Bill". Following his retirement at Sandia, Bill consulted on the recovery of large liquid rocket boosters for the NASA Space Shuttle. During the later years, Bill enjoyed travels with his family, especially cruises. He also enjoyed Ballroom Dancing and participating in competitions. The past two years were tough due to health issues but he looked forward to meeting with friends on a daily basis in Albuquerque where he was respectfully known as Mr Bill. His day always ended with friends at the Montebello conversing about a wide range of topics. A service will be held on at 12:45 p.m on Thursday August 22, 2013 at The Santa Fe National Cemetery immediately followed by a gathering to celebrate Bill's life and accomplishments. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Veteran' s Memorial Association or to your local children's charity or youth group. The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at the Montebello Retirement Residence and to Gary Snover.