John William Alred
John W. Alred, 66, passed away on March 8, 2021 in Taylor Lake Village, Texas. He was born on March 16, 1954 in California to James and Edith Alred. When John was seven the family moved to the Little Rock area of Arkansas where he grew up. John is survived by: his wife, Dorris; daughter, Elizabeth Meloeny Gould; sons, Erik Alred, John Alred, and Ben Alred; brother, Mike Alred; and numerous family members and friends. He earned his undergraduate degree in Physics from the University of Central Arkansas and his PhD in Physics from Baylor University. John worked in many facets of the space industry, primarily at NASA JSC. John loved raising his children. He also had a passion for his profession and cherished his many colleagues.
A memorial will be held on Thursday, June 10, at 2 pm at Crowder Funeral Home, 111 East Medical Center Blvd, Webster, Texas.
I first met John when he started work in our division as a coop back in 1978. I rented a room to him in my house during his coop days. His big old Cadillac dripped oil in my driveway for months. When he played Santa Claus at the children’s Christmas party at JSC you would never have known he wasn’t the real deal. There was nobody that didn’t like John. He was a great friend and a great person.
John was a wonderful person and a good friend. We enjoyed working together on science projects when we were both at JSC. I retired from NASA in 1997 and went to work as a research physicist for Boeing Aerospace. John supported our Boeing team and later went to work for the Structures and Mechanics Division of JSC. John had a fine mind,on exceptional personality and he will be missed dearly.
Jim Visentine
NASA JSC 1964-1997
John will be sorely missed. I worked with him during his time in Structures and Mechanisms and learned a lot from him. John was always good to listen and offer the best advice to overcome any issue that I was facing. He taught me a lot and I very much appreciated his calm demeanor and joyful attitude.
John Harrison
NASA JSC 2002-Present
John worked as my Deputy in the Materials and Processes Branch. An incredibly smart, yet humble man who could make me laugh while explaining the intricacies of the effects of space radiation on electronic systems. I actually learned a lot from John, who embraced his role as Teacher both at NASA and at the local University. John spoke often of his family and it was clear that they were his pride and joy. I’m most certainly a better person today because of him, as are all those who were fortunate enough to call him friend, colleague or teacher.
John was a pleasure to work with and NASA will sorely miss his contributions to the US Space Programs.
Above all, John was a great Friend and my sincere condolences to Doris and their children who I know he adored.
Prayers and go in Peace.
John was deputy branch chief of branch I worked for. He helped me a lot in many ways in his role. He is one of very few individuals who gave me more than I can ever give back.
Ajay Koshti
We first met John, Doris and family while our boys were in cub scouts in the same den. I think John had just as much fun teaching the boys as they had working with John and doing the activites to earn their badges. Whether our paths crossed at scouts or at NASA through the years John always looked at things from a real but positive perspective and brought great ideas about how to move things forward. His patience, humor, and calm demeanor made him a true joy to work with. Rest in Peace John, we will miss you.
I am deeply sorry in hearing of Johns passing and disturbed about having missed the memorial service. John came into my section many years ago as part of the ET organization. He was a very smart and likeable person. When I became a Branch Chief, I asked John to be my Deputy and was elated that he accepted. After several reorganizations we went our separate ways, but I never forgot John and the good years we had working together. One instance that I will never forget is a Christmas party we held one year and John was late in coming and we were worried he would not be able to make it. But when the doorbell rang and we opened the door, there was John, in a Santa outfit! Needless to say he was the hit of the party. One of many found memories of John.
My thoughts and prayers are with the entire Alred family.
John was a great supporter of involving students in NASA projects. His work with Space Grant had a tremendous impact on countless students, many of whom would not have had that NASA STEM experience without his mentorship. Sincere condolences from Texas Space Grant Consortium.
Tim Urban
TSGC Director