Obituary of John Harry Covington

John Harry Covington, 77, passed away Tuesday, November 29, 2016. He is preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Hazel Covington; and brother, Jimmy Covington. John is survived by his loving wife of 41 years, Brenda Covington; sons, John and Michael Covington; daughters, Janet Jacobs, Lynn Miller and husband, Brad; grandchildren, Stephanie, Steven, Megan, Rich, David and Bailey; great grandchildren, Leo and Turner; and a host of other family and friends. John grew up in the Rockingham, North Carolina where he spent his childhood hunting, camping and fishing. He was active in the Boy Scouts and was one of the youngest Eagle Scouts in the area. John attended North Carolina State University and majored in Aerospace Engineering. After graduating, he started his career with NASA and relocated to Houston. At NASA, he was able to experience some of the most exciting times in the growth of the space industry. John worked on the Gemini and several Apollo missions and was instrumental in the development of the EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity) that Neil Armstrong used during his moon walk. After NASA, he was Vice President of Space Operations at Scott Science and Technology. In retirement, he enjoyed fishing, road trips, stock trading and spending time with his family. He was a man of strong faith and served his church in many capacities as a Deacon, adult Sunday school teacher, and biblical scholar. John will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. The funeral service for John will be held Saturday, December 3, 2016 at 10:00 am at University Baptist Church, 16106 Middlebrook Dr., Houston, TX 77059 with Pastor Dr. Steve Laufer officiating. Interment will follow at Forest Park East Cemetery in Webster, Texas.