Ira F. M. Zeeman

Jaffrey, New Hampshire
Ira F.M. Zeeman, 79, died peacefully on Thursday, March 3, 2011 at the Crestwood Convalescent Center in Port Angeles, Washington.
He was born in Jaffrey on October 22, 1931, son of the late Ira and Nellie (Sirois) Zeeman. Ira had graduated from Conant High School in Jaffrey in 1948 and entered the US Air Force in 1950.
Ira rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant and he was honorably discharged from the US Air Force in 1954. He then worked as an electronic technician specializing in radar systems for Land-Air, Inc. (a predecessor of DynCorp), and finally as an aerospace engineer for Martin Marietta Corporation (now Lockheed-Martin). During serving in the military and working for those firms he was able to travel extensively overseas to bases and facilities in places such as Japan, Alaska and Europe (in France, Germany, etc.).
He was proud of his position over a 25 year period as an aerospace engineer for the Martin Marietta Corporation. In his work for them, he ended up participating in the launching of several Titan II space satellites, and in the west coast development of the Space Shuttle, at Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6, nicknamed Slick Six) located at Vandenburg AFB in Lompoc California. Ira retired from the Martin Marietta Corporation in 1990.
Iras retirement, and the subsequent death of his mother Nellie (Sirois) Zeeman in Jaffrey in 1994, eventually led him to return to Jaffrey NH for a couple of years in the mid-1990s, then to go to Phoenix Arizona for about six years, and finally to be near a family member in Port Angeles Washington.
Iras main hobbies in retirement seemed to be his guns and in telling stories -- especially about the US space program, and with another very favorite subject of his being to talk extensively about Guns, Ghosts, and UFOs with anyone who would listen.
His only surviving immediate family members are his two children, Joette Burke of Wailuku (Maui), HI and Michael Zeeman of Los Gatos, CA, and his brother Maurice Zeeman of Silver Spring, MD.

For those who wish, memorial contributions may be made to Bridge-Builders, Ltd; POB 182; Sequim, WA 98382 as this was the fine local social-service organization that helped the most in enabling suitable care of Ira in Port Angeles over the last five years of his life, and as they also helped him deal with many of his daily and regular personal needs over that time-span too.

Burial will also be on Monday May 23rd in the family lot at St. Patrick Cemetery in Jaffrey.

Friends and family arewarmly invited to visiting hours from 12:00 Noon until1:00 PM on Monday May 23rd, 2011,at the Cournoyer Funeral Home Cremation Center, 33 River Street, Jaffrey.

Amemorial service will be celebrated immediately following the visiting hours on Monday, May 23, 2011 at 1:00 PM in the chapel at the Cournoyer Funeral Home Cremation Center, 33 River Street, Jaffrey. Ira's cousin, Rev. Elizabeth Davis, Pastor of the United Methodist Churches of Peterborough and Rindge,will officiate.