Ernest Glenn ("Ernie") Lautzenheiser, Jr., age 86, passed away peacefully at his home in Melbourne, Florida, on Dec. 31, 2017, after a brief illness.

Ernie was born April 11, 1931, in Sewannee, Tennessee, to Ernest G. Lautzenheiser and Annie (Parks) Coney. Growing up, he lived briefly in places that included Columbia, South Carolina and Wilmington, North Carolina, before returning to Monteagle, Tennessee, where his ancestors were some of the area's early pioneers.

After graduating from Grundy County High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1951, and served as a radio operator in the Phillippines during the Korean War. Upon his discharge, Ernie attended Middle Tennessee State University, graduating in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Studies.

Soon after graduating, Ernie went to work for NASA, first at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama and later at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. While working full-time on the nation's space program, he attended Florida Institute of Technology, earning a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He also completed several courses towards a Masters in Mathematics.

It was at Cape Canaveral that he met Mary Kelsey Merritt, a secretary for Brown Engineering. The two were married on Aug. 5, 1962, reportedly in an impromptu ceremony at a Georgia courthouse en route to visit his family in Tennessee.

During his NASA career, Ernie worked on Project Mercury, Project Gemini, the Apollo program, Skylab and the Space Shuttle, retiring in 1994 as Chief of Facilities Engineering.

After retirement, Ernie returned to the place of his birth, dividing his time between Tennessee and Florida before his health required a permanent relocation back to Melbourne in 2014.

Ernie was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved Mary, wife of 47 years. He is survived by his daughter, Anne (Andrew) Hammock of Jacksonville, Florida; two half-sisters, Geneva Shelton of Chattanooga, Tennessee and Lorretta Johnson of Texarkana, Texas; several in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews; and one furry, four-legged grandson.

Ernie was buried in Monteagle, and a memorial service will be held Feb. 10 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hilton Melbourne Beach Oceanfront, 3003 N. Highway A1A, Melbourne. Ernie's daughter is eternally grateful to the staff of Seniors Helping Seniors, Assisting Hands of Brevard and VITAS Hospice for their dedicated care and companionship during his illness.