Gary Keith Sweet

Gary K. Sweet went to heaven September 28, 2020 in Huntsville, Al, born May 5, 1939 in Detroit, Michigan.  He leaves his wife of over 54 years, Rosemary, his Sons: Louis Todd (Melissa) Sweet of Huntsville and Wesley Keith (Susanna) Sweet of Seattle, WA, and five grandchildren: Savannah Lynn West (Coty), Sydni Dawn Lanham (Lucas), William Todd Sweet, Sierra Cathleen Proctor (Emmanuel), and Mikhayla Alexandra Sweet. Gary and both sons were Eagle Scouts.  A Memorial Service will be held at Grace Lutheran Church, Huntsville, Saturday, October 10, 2020 at 1:30 pm.  His Military Veterans with Honors Ceremony will be at Barrancas National Cemetery, Pensacola Naval Air Station on October 13, 2020 at 11:30 am.

Gary was a retired Aerospace Engineer & U.S. Military Service Veteran.  During his professional career he worked both for Boeing Company & United Technologies on the NASA Apollo/Saturn V Moon Rocket and NASA Space Shuttle Program.  In 1988 NASA recognized him with the "Manned Space Flight Honoree-Award of Merit". In 2014 he was interviewed by a NASA representative about his professional engineering experience on both projects.  This interview was then added to NASA's Historical Archives. 

He was a life member of the Society  of Manufacturing Engineers serving at both National and International levels, including the Society's 2003-2006 International Board of Directors.  He pioneered the implementation of Industrial Robotics Systems on the NASA Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster program & is a charter life member of Robotics International.  As a SME Certified Manufacturing Engineer Gary had over 40 years of experience in Manufacturing on the aforementioned projects, the U.S. Navy Tomahawk Cruise Missile, USAF F-111 Fighter/Attack aircraft.

In 2002 he was awarded the SME President's award, and The Huntsville Technical Society Engineer of the Year Award.  He wrote and presented over 25 technical papers for various engineering conferences both US and international.  He was the opening speaker to 3000 attendees at the 10th International Symposium on Industrial Robots, in Milam, Italy March 1980. 

After his professional career he founded and managed 4 different small businesses: Applied Polymer Systems, Inc. of Tampa, FL, Sandroid Systems, Inc., Powder-X Coating Systems, LLC, of Huntsville and Powdermart, LLC. of Huntsville.  All were sold to other companies, two of which are still currently in operation.  Gary was a graduate of the U.S. Navy Aviation Weapons University located at NAS Pensacola, FL. After 28 years of active service and reserve military service, he retired from the U.S. Navy as a Naval Weapons Officer with his last assignment on the aircraft USS CV-67 John F. Kennedy home ported at Mayport Navy Base, FL.  Gary also served in the US Marine Corp as an Aviation Ordnance Tech and the US Air Force as an Aviation Weapons Specialist, in North Africa and Europe.  He was a Life member of the following: Naval Aviation Association ANA, U.S. Naval Institute USNI, Military Officers Association of America MOAA, and a charter/plank owner of the U.S. Navy Memorial located in Washington, D.C.  Also he was an active volunteer and Life member of the U..S. Space and Rocket Center located in Huntsville.

In lieu of flowers please make donations to Grace Lutheran Church Capital Investment Fund.  

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