Former Plateau resident Gary “Old Man” Romberg died Jan. 15, 2020.

He was born Feb. 24, 1935, to Fred and Elsie (Chesterfield) Romberg. He graduated from White River High School in 1953 and married Bonny on Oct. 5, 1957. He worked at NASA in the mid- and late-1960s and was involved in putting the first man on the moon. His involvement included aerodynamic development of the Saturn B1 booster which propelled the astronauts from the launch pad into space. He also had a 40-year career with Chrysler. He couldn’t sit still in retirement and had been working at Aerodyne in Mooresville, North Carolina, since 2006. He was a member of American Power Boat Association for 45 years and was an active member of Centre Presbyterian Church in Mooresville.

He enjoyed fishing but rarely caught anything, had an illustrious career and traveled worldwide, but what he enjoyed most was time with his kids, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and extended family.

He is survived by his wife Bonny; children Val (Karla) of Pennsylvania, Kurt (Kim) of North Carolina, and Leif (Kim) and Heidi, all of Virginia; 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life took place Saturday, Jan. 18, at Centre Presbyterian Church in Mooresville. He was interred Jan. 27 at the Buckley cemetery. In lieu of flowers a donation is suggested to the Centre Presbyterian Church Landscaping Fund.