John Eyler; Commitment, Continuity Marked His Life

Continuity and commitment were hallmarks of the life of John Hamilton Eyler, weight manager of the Apollo 11 space mission that put the first man on the moon.

As a 40-year employee of Boeing, he worked on everything from fighters and missiles to moon shots and commercial aircraft. He kept friends for a lifetime, socializing with people he had met in school or early in his career.

And he enjoyed a 54-year marriage to Ell Dora Eyler.

Mr. Eyler, of Bellevue, died Friday, March 28, of Alzheimer's disease. He was 80.

"His themes were continuity of relationships and loyalty," said his son, John Eyler of Rye, N.Y., chairman and CEO of FAO Schwarz toy stores. "It shows up in every facet of his life. He wasn't a person to be caught up in the fads of the time. He was true to who he was."

Born in Yakima, Mr. Eyler lost his mother at age 2 and grew up on his grandparents' pear farm. After high school, he worked in the mines of Kellogg, Idaho, to earn money to attend Washington State University, where he received a mining-engineering degree in 1938.

He got a job at Boeing in 1941 and worked on control systems for Navy fighters used in World War II.

"Every time the service called, Boeing came to the rescue (with more work)," said his wife, explaining why Mr. Eyler did not serve in the military. "I guess they felt he was more important as an aircraft designer."

In 1959, he joined Boeing's Aerospace Division to supervise the Minuteman missile weight unit.

And from 1966 to 1969 he served as weight manager on the Apollo space program in Houston, working on the moon walk heard around the world via satellite broadcasts. "That was the high point of his life," his wife said. "He won many awards and a plaque for that."

"It was pretty exciting when he was working on the Minuteman missile and took me down there to see it, and I was awestruck," his son said.

Mr. Eyler worked on the SST, 727 and 757, earning awards for finding ways to reduce weights of the 727 and 757.

His professional affiliations included the presidency of the International Weight Engineers Association and offices in the local chapter of that group.

In off hours he enjoyed bird-hunting, tennis, bowling and golf with his family.

Other survivors include his daughter, Janet Walker of Nashville, Tenn.; and five grandchildren.

A private service is planned. Memorials may go to Evergreen Hospice and Health Care Foundation, 12910 Totem Lake Blvd. N.E., Suite 200, Kirkland, WA 98034.