Marlin “John” Berkebile, 95 of Petersburg, Tennessee, passed away October 14, 2023, surrounded by family after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was born in Stoystown, Pennsylvania, to Freeman Richard “Dick” and Edith (Helman) Berkebile on June 29, 1928. He grew up in Stoystown with his two brothers, Leroy and Dave, and his sisters Dorothy and Diane, working on the family farm and coal mine located in Somerset County near the top of Turkeyfoot Hill. John attended Kantner Grade school where he played basketball and baseball. Graduating High School, he went on to Penn State, but was drafted to the military.
His military career turned into a series of technical training where he ended up as a trainer himself in St. Louis, Missouri. During this time, he met the love of his life, Roberta “Sue” McKinley, who was in nursing school and married her on July 17, 1953. While she worked as a nurse, he earned an Electrical Engineering degree from Washington University. Two children later, John was offered a position with Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. He was given a choice to stay with Redstone or join the newly formed NASA. He chose space and soon headed up a new section, Advanced Methods of Research, where he primarily worked on the Apollo series. He was awarded several times for his research solutions.
Each summer, John and Sue packed up their four children and traveled across the country camping while he would stop at locations, checking on the progress of new parts for NASA spacecraft. After retiring from NASA, he worked a couple of years for Boeing in Seattle, Washington, and finally retired to his beloved 200 plus acres farm in Petersburg, Tennessee. But his adventures were just beginning as he and Sue traveled each year to all parts of the world.
He is survived by his children, Kristi, Bill, Richard, and Dinah, and his sister Diane Diest. John and Sue had eight grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. The family would like to thank Compassus Hospice for their exceptional care and support. A Celebration of Life will be held in remembrance of John and Sue’s wonderful life.
