Paul Lenard Spadin

Paul Lenard Spadin, 83, of Fulton, died Friday March 30, 2018 at home surrounded by family. He was born March 11, 1936 in South Pymatuning Township, Pennsylvania, to the late Louis Eugene Spadin and Leah (Krapf) Spadin. He grew up in Pennsylvania and Maryland, working on farms with his eight siblings, and enlisted in the Air Force in 1954. He served for three years, and was stationed in Morocco where he honed his cooking skills for which he was known. He then attended the Communication Electronics School, where he refined his skills in building and repairing technology, and which lead him to his career in aeronautical and aerospace engineering. Spadin began his career at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1958, when it changed from NACA to NASA. He worked as a Laser Technician on the NASA Goddard Team that recorded the first laser pulses bounced off a satellite in late October 1964 and was recognized In 2014 by the International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS) for his contributions as one of the members of the original GSFC satellite laser ranging (SLR) team. He was also instrumental to the Apollo 11 laser ranging retroreflector experiment, working at Lick Observatory in California to measure the Moon’s distance and orbit. Data from lunar laser ranging is still used today to study the Earth, the Moon and the character of gravity. With a gregarious personality and endless supply of jokes, Paul was always involved in striking a balance between work and play. At NASA, he was a leader the Goddard Trap and Skeet Club and Bowling Team, and coordinator of social activities. His colleagues attest that “whether he was soldering circuit boards, running plumbing, or planning the week’s activities, he taught them how to be a professional, how to treat people, how to simply do great work. He just made us all better.” Paul retired from NASA in 1991, after 33 years of service which gave him time to work on his passion, building and flying Ultralight aircraft. He was a founding member of the Capital Area Light Flyers, an affiliate of the United States Ultralight Association, and was instrumental to its many events and partnerships over the past 37 years. He was best known for his ultralight with smiley faces on each wing, and the toy drop they held at many fly-ins, affixing tiny parachutes to stuffed toys that were dropped from the airplane for children to catch. He will be missed greatly by the Ultralight community for his advice, ability to build or fix and aircraft, his ability to bring people together, and of course his meatballs. He is survived by his four children, Karen Spadin Heiner of Orlando, FL, Diane Spadin Rogers of Jessup, MD, Glen Spadin and his wife, Maja of Wichita Falls, TX, and their mother Gaile Spadin and Melissa Spadin of San Diego, CA and her mother Harriet Gordon Spadin; nine grandchildren, Jaqueline, Jennifer, Erick, Mark, Rachel, Hannah, Sarah, Rebecca, and Faith; his companion Cathy Waltersdorff, and twin brother Perry Spadin of Virginia and sister Emily Fix of Virginia. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by four brothers and two sisters. Per his wishes, he was cremated and a celebration of his life will be held at the Eyler Farm on July 28, 2018. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to his favorite museum, the National Air and Space Museum, to ensure that it may continue its mission to "Commemorate, Educate, Inspire" about the wonders of flight. National Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Contribution Receipt Center PO Box 98091 Washington, DC 20090

Paul Lenard Spadin

March 11, 1936 - March 30, 2018