Charles Nicholas Faulkner

Charles Nicholas Faulkner, 86, of Huntington, WV, passed away Thursday August 28th, 2014 at the Emogene Dolin Jones Hospice House, Huntington. Charles was born on June 14th, 1928 in Huntington, WV to the late Harry A. and Mildred Caswell Faulkner. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by two sisters Eleanor Faulkner Goossen and Barbara Faulkner Snyder. Funeral services will be held Sunday August 31st, 2014 at 2:00 PM at the Abbey of Remembrance at Woodmere Memorial Park by Rev. Andrew Magnusson. Burial will follow at Woodmere Memorial Park. Charles was a 1946 graduate of Huntington East High School and the Huntington East Trade School. He graduated from Marshall (College) University with a degree in Engineering and Science. He was a member of the U.S. Army National Guard 468th Battery Division Field Artillery during the Korean Conflict. In 1957, Charles went to work for McDonald-Douglas Aeronautics in Santa Monica, CA. Several years later he was transferred by McDonald-Douglas to Cocoa Beach, FL – Cape Canaveral where he began working in the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center from the beginning of the space program, having worked on Gemini I through the Space Shuttle flights. He worked at all three space centers, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL; Kennedy Space Center, Cocoa Beach, Fl., Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX – where he retired in 1989. He was a member of the design team of Canadian and US Engineers who designed the shuttle payload arm. He worked closely with Judy Resnick, mission specialist and Greg Jarvis payload specialist both with the Challenger Space Shuttle's 11th Mission. He was in mission control at Johnson Space Center during the Apollo 1 mission and the Apollo 13 mission, and the 1986 Challenger mission. His family especially nieces and nephews loved to hear his stories of what he did in the space program. He was an avid golfer and loved to be on the water when in Florida. He is survived by a sister Gertrude (Bill) F. Spurlock, and 5 nieces, 2 nephews, 8 Great nephews, 4 Great nieces, 4 Great Great nephews, and 1 Great Great Great niece. Friends may call from 1:00 – 2:00 PM Sunday at Woodmere Memorial Park, Huntington. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.regerfh.com.