James Milton Zwiener, 80, of Huntsville, AL passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2023. Born in Kansas City, MO, he graduated from Westport High School in 1961 and was awarded the “Most Outstanding Astronautics Exhibit” for a working model of an Ion Engine. While attending the Missouri School of Mines – University of Missouri at Rolla, Jim met and married Donna Roberts in 1966. After earning his Bachelor of Science in Physics in January 1967, Jim began work at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, AL.
He started out his career working around some of the scientists and engineers that immigrated from Germany after the war and many of the pioneers in the early days of NASA MSFC. Over time he continued to develop expertise in material properties and performance in the space environment, particularly in the areas of coatings, optical properties, thermal transfer and contamination. While many of the programs and projects he supported may not have made headlines, a few that may be familiar include the following: Skylab, several Space Shuttle payload experiments, Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) satellite, the Hubble Space Telescope and experiments outside the MIR space station. These efforts resulted in numerous awards and commendations, most of which he humbly collected in a closet, with the exception of the NASA Silver Snoopy award which did find its way to a spare corner of a room surrounded by photos of family.
After 35 years, Jim retired from NASA MSFC in December 1998 and then consulted for AZ Technology until 2010.
He had a great interest in genealogy, particularly the modern application of DNA to complete missing branches of family trees. He was also an avid reader across a spectrum of historical areas, with particular interest in the Revolutionary and Civil War periods. However, spending time with his grandchildren was his greatest joy.
Jim was preceded in death by Royal D. Zwiener (father), Betty Sue Ford (mother) and Marvin E. Ford (stepfather). Survivors include his wife, Donna K. Zwiener; children, Mark C. Zwiener (Deborah), Albert M. Zwiener (Thea), and Gwendolyn S. Zwiener; grandchildren, Darrell J. Ducote (Megan); Braeden M., Francheska K. and Broderick A. Zwiener; Frederick W. and Elizabeth S. Bishop; great-grandchildren, Alyssa B. McMurray and Lillian F. Ducote; sisters, Cheryl Edmondson (Kenneth), and Linda Kay Calcote; and many loving brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, January 14th at Laughlin Service Funeral Home, Huntsville, AL. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, January 15th in the funeral home chapel. A private burial will be held.
