Kenneth Paul Eckel Sr.

Kenneth Paul Eckel Sr., 79, passed away Saturday January 23, 2021 with his family by his side. He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years Elaine, his sons Kenneth Paul Eckel Jr. (wife Deborah Eckel) and Eric Stephen Eckel (wife Mary Beth Eckel), grandchildren Rory Gene Eckel, Brett Stephen Eckel and Mary Anne Eckel. He is preceded in death by his father Romeo Eckel and his mother Victoria Eckel.
Ken lived a full and happy life. He met and married his high school sweetheart. He was in the Naval Air Reserve in High School, attended college for a year, and then joined the NAVY in 1960 where he was assigned to the USS Kitty Hawk and later began working on Navy Flight Simulators helping to train pilots. Ken enjoyed an active career in the NASA Space Program, where he started in the Gemini Program in Slidell LA, then moved to Binghamton NY where he worked on F-111 flight simulator systems for Singer Link and was relocated to League City TX. He continued his successful career and worked on the NASA Lunar Module Simulator Space Shuttle Space Transportation Program project doing computer programming, where he was awarded the Silver Snoopy award for his efforts. He was especially proud of his SIlver Snoopy award, which is an astronaut personal achievement award. He also worked on programming the Mission Control Console for the Public Service Officer with NASA. In addition, he worked with his German counterpart on the European Space Agency Mission Control Center.
Ken Sr’s love of programming has been passed on to both of his grandsons. He was proud of his family and set a great example for being a loving husband. He was always proud of his Grandkids, loved them very much and supported them in their activities.
Ken Sr. had a strong work ethic and while he was still coding for NASA Contractors, he also owned an Air Conditioning business and was helped by his son Eric. In addition, he helped encourage his son Ken Jr to pursue his dream of flying.
He was a lifelong gardener and always enjoyed eating his fresh produce. He loved wood working and travel. Ken and Elaine were active members of the Lone Star Ramblers, an RV club, and loved dancing.
Relatives and Friends are invited to attend a funeral service on Friday, February 19, 2021 at 11:30am at Mothe Funeral Home, 1300 Vallette St. Algiers, La 70114, followed by a graveside service at McDonoghville Cemetery. Visitation will begin at 9:30am. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, guests will be required to wear a face mask/covering and social distancing will be implemented.