Obituary of Henry J. Nawoj

Resident of Goleta, passed away on March 26, 2013. He was born in 1926 to Michael and Mary Nawoj in Franklin, NH. He is survived by his wife Marian and his son Alan, daughter-in-law Janet and grandson Andrew of Coppell TX. He was raised on his family's farm where he helped operate their retail dairy business. He enlisted in the U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps in 1944. He sailed as a cadet-midshipman in the Pacific War Zone with voyages to the Marshall, Mariana, Russell and Solomon Islands. He completed his training at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY in 1946 and was licensed as a marine engineer and commissioned as an officer in the Naval Reserve and the Maritime Service. He completed his undergraduate education in mechanical engineering at the University of New Hampshire in 1948 while sailing as a marine engineer during the summers. His professional life began as an engineer at Boeing in Seattle, followed by a twenty year career as a naval officer, aviator, and aeronautical engineering specialist serving throughout the continental U.S. and Hawaii. He attended the Naval Postgraduate School and the California Institute of Technology for postgraduate education in jet propulsion. Upon completing his naval career, he resumed his graduate education at the University of California, Santa Barbara earning a MS and PhD in mechanical engineering. He maintained an affiliation with UCSB for twelve years as a student, associate, lecturer, and assistant to the dean for undergraduate studies in the College of Engineering. His professional affiliations included the Naval Institute, the American Rocket Society, AIAA, the American Society of Mechanical Engineering, the American Society of Engineering Education, Sigma Xi and Tau Beta Pi. A resident of Goleta since 1969, he was an active member of Goleta Presbyterian Church, serving on numerous committees, as a ruling elder, and in GPC's outreach programs at Transition House and the Community Kitchen. He was also active in the Santa Barbara section of the AIAA, serving as chairman, secretary, and member of the board of the local section, and volunteered with the Friends of the Goleta Library. Along with his best friend and wife Marian, his love of family, walking, golf, gardening, "handy-manning", birding, genealogy and travel filled his retirement days with quiet rewards. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 13, 2013 at1:00 P.M. at Goleta Presbyterian Church, 6067 Shirrell Way, Goleta. Memorial donations may be made to the Goleta Presbyterian Church, Cancer Center of Santa Barbara or the Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation. Internment will be at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego. Arrangements handled by McDermott-Crockett Mortuary.