Bill Spadafora

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KennB

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We received word this morning from his family that Bill Spadafora (TRF handle billspad) passed away last night.

When we receive information about any arrangements, they will be posted here.

This is a big loss for our hobby as Bill was not only the President of the CMASS club in NAR but was also involved deeply with S&T, TARC and various other programs.
 
That is very sad news indeed. Condolences to his family and friends and may the Peace and Grace of Christ follow them.
 
That's terrible news to hear. Known Bill for years through CMASS, a really hard working and upstanding guy with a great sense of humor. I can't imagine not seeing him at a launch.
 
Bill was a great friend, and a great rocketman. His presence in the hobby will be missed.

We have no idea what happened but it was sudden. We got an e-mail from him yesterday afternoon from the ICU to postpone the scheduled trailer maintenance day today, and that was the last we heard. We'll post more information when we find out what happened.

Bob Krech
 
Very sad news. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

He was a good man.
 
I never met him, but traded quite a few emails with him regarding motor certa and such. I really nice guy and asset to the hobby. My condolences to his family and friends.
 
I'm sorry to hear that Bill has passed on. I didn't know Bill other than through his messages and evidence of his work for the hobby.
My thoughts and condolences to his family, friends and those of you who are missing a fellow flyer.
 
My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and everyone who has ever met Bill. His smile and humor were one of a kind. His passing is a great loss.
 
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I never had the chance to communicate with Bill, but his presence will be missed. His family is in our thoughts.

Nate
 
Have traded rocketry fun and creative barbs with Bill for many years. It's going to be "different" from now on. Just different.
 
Bill was one of the only people in this hobby that left an impression on me. We weren't friends, I didn't know his number, and I haven't been a regular at cmass in years. Still, this news hits hard, as Bill was a tremendous person who left such an impact on everyone he met. He will be sorely missed.
 
The Rocket Community is truly diminished by his loss. Though I didn't know him personally, I've been around here long enough to pay attention to the things he said.

My deepest condolences to the family and friends during this time of both grief and remembrance.

Greg
 
This is unbelievably sad and comes as shock...

Bill was the biggest rocketry enthusiast I've ever met, and he was always there with advise, help, and favor. He was at every CMASS launch with positive energy and a smile. He brought joy and passion of rocketry to many people, and this terrible loss will be felt for years to come.

We'll always miss you, Bill Spadafora.


-Alex
 
As Greg Gleason said, "The Rocket Community is truly diminished by his loss." That, right there, is at the heart of this sad time in 'the Community'. I think of all the new rocketeers that will come in future years that will be denied the blessing of having Bill's presence in their lives and rocket 'careers' and will only know him through the stories and memories that others share... and am saddened.

My genuine and sincere condolences to his family and those close to him. May your memories and love for him carry you through.

-- john.
 
Bill was one of my closest and trusted advisers when I was the National Association of Rocketry president. I knew I could count on him to give me straight answers, whether he agreed with me or not. But I also knew that regardless of our position, we could remain friends, flying rockets, enjoying one another’s company and having numerous dinners together. My deepest condolences to the family.
 
I "met" Bill here on TRF but had the privilege of meeting him several times "in real life" at various NARAMs. It was funny because several times when I tried to start a conversation with him he would, in classic New England style, answer my attempt at conversation with a one word answer. He made an impression on me because knowing that he was from CMASS, I would see him in places from Pennsylvania, Ohio and Colorado and realize that he had paid to travel across the country, be there on, or before, the first day so that he could help the local club set up and then spend a good chunk of the week not flying, but volunteering at the RSO table helping others so that *they* could fly.

He was a class act, and as others have said, our entire community is diminished because of his absence.
 
Bill was a great guy. He will be sorely missed. To be sure, I think whenever I have a dessert, I will think of Bill. I am not sure I can imagine a CMASS launch without him.
 
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Bob called me early this morning with sad news. His words didn't register in my brain on the first attempt and I responded with "Say what?", and so he repeated his words. I've been in a sad funk all day at the news of the passing of a good friend.

Simply put, Bill made you a better person just by knowing and spending time with him. His life compass was as true as that of anyone I have ever known and for guidance he offered me over the years I am ever thankful. Bill was the chief cat herder of NAR S&T for the 12 years I have been part of that group and fulfilled that service for decades before I joined the group. His support of the rocketry community extended well beyond NAR S&T, as he was a member of the TARC support staff for every year, except for 2015 where health issues prevented his attendance. In a somewhat strange twist of events I was rotated into Bill duties of LCO of the Von Braun range. In taking that spot I felt that I had something to live up to in the performance of those duties during the launch. In addition to TARC, Bill was a member of my staff tasked with supporting the NASA Student Launch Program since formal NAR involvement began in 2010. I can only hope that he enjoyed those six launches as much as I did. Last April in Huntsville was the last time I saw Bill in person, it was after the launch event had concluded and 22 of us were having a BBQ dinner in a little hole in the restaurant near the hotel we were staying. All I can say for certain is that there will be a place set at the table for him in 2016 and we will toast the memory of our departed friend and compatriot.

If at all possible I will be attending Bill's memorial service next Wednesday, I hope that many of you can join me.

John
 
Very sorry to hear this. A fantastic guy. I recall many times I saw him at NARAMs when Bill was helping out, or running the range.

Many years back (1990's) when I was doing a special project, I had lamented how hard it was to find trustworthy old-style glass bulb mercury switches (to sense burnout deceleration). Bill read that and sent me a couple, since during some of his work he often replaced old thermostats that used merc switches (mounted on a bimetallic coil that rotated due to temperature) with more modern solid state units. He saved a lot of those removed mercury switches to share with other rocketeers.

- George Gassaway
 
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