FIALA JOSEPH LAWRENCE FIALA, 82, passed away from this life on Wed, March 27, 2013 in Columbus, Ohio where he resided at Wesley Glen for the last four years.
He was the husband of Margaret, who preceded him on July 17, 2009.
He was born Sept. 5, 1930 and was raised in the Bohemian neighborhood on East Blvd. in Cleveland, Ohio.
He attended Cathedral Latin High School and graduated in 1948, then joined the Air Force for four years, serving mostly at Carswell AFB, TX.
Returning to Cleveland, he found work at NACA which became NASA at the Lewis Research Center. He furthered his education at John Carroll University night school, graduating in '67.
He worked on the Agena and Centaur rocket systems, and then helped to develop the first use of microwave communications from a satellite to a mobile ground station bus.
He drove many miles from the rural northwest of the US to the UN in NYC demonstrating how people could talk and see each other in real time meetings with others in Washington, DC and other western countries. He and his beloved wife, Margaret resided on Naomi Drive for over 52 years.
He leaves behind to cherish his memory, his daughter, Monica Fiala Neville (Michael) of Bloomfield Hills, MI, and son, Joseph F. (Mary Fristad) of Worthington, Ohio.
He was proud of his four grandchildren: Matthew and Mark Neville, Elise and Peter Fiala.
VISITATION AT THE ZABOR FUNERAL HOME, 5680 PEARL RD., PARMA, Ohio (between Ridge and Snow) THURSDAY, APRIL 4, from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m.
Mass of Christian Burial, Friday, April 5 at 10 a.m. at St. Bridget of Kildare Parish.
Interment, Holy Cross Cemetery.
To offer online condolences, please visit:
www.ZaborFH.comCuyahoga