Tryon Lindabury

Tryon Smith "Lindy" Lindabury Sr. passed away Saturday, Dec. 27, 2003, in Missouri City, Texas, at the age of 86 years and three days.

He was born Dec. 24, 1917, in Burlington, N.J., son of Glenn Andrew and Gertrude Belle Tryon Lindabury. He married Ruth Mildred Cayse Feb. 16, 1940, in her hometown of St. Louis.

Lindy graduated from Wilbur Watts High School in Burlington in 1934, and earned a bachelor of science degree from Parks Air College in East St. Louis, Ill., in 1936.

He served in the Fifth Air Force with the first occupation forces in Japan after World War II.

The highlights of Lindy's 47-year career as an aeronautical engineer include his work at Rockwell International as a senior design engineer for the preliminary design of the flight controls for the space shuttle.

He was named to the Honor Roll of Inventors while he worked as a senior design specialist in mechanical systems and flight controls at Lockheed. There he designed the actuator for the nose visor and coordinated the design of functional systems in the wing of Lockheed's C5A "Galaxy."

Lindy retired from Boeing in 1983 as a principal engineer in flight controls and mechanical systems design.

He sang for 20 years with the St. Louis Gospelaires gospel quartet, and published two books on Bible prophecy.

Notable among his six patented inventions is a folding baby stroller and the single control water faucet.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Ruth Mildred Lindabury; his parents; a brother, Ronald Lindabury; a sister-in-law, Dorothy Proske; and two brothers-in-law, Harold Proske and William E. Cayse Jr.

His loving survivors include a son, Tryon Jr. and daughter-in-law Anne of Houston, Texas; two sisters-in-law, Ginny Cayse of Cape Girardeau, and Eva Lindabury of Burlington; two nephews, Hal "Skip" Proske of Oklahoma City, Okla., and Ron Lindabury of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.; five nieces, Pamela Proske Kaye of Algonquin, Ill., Jackie Cayse Boyer of Norwalk, Iowa, Joy Cayse Pharis of Keller, Texas, Joan Cayse Goehring of Cape Girardeau, and Janet Cayse Harding of Springfield, Mo.

Private burial was held at Houston National Cemetery.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Jan. 16 at Celebration Baptist Church in Wichita, Kan.

Aldine Funeral Chapel in Houston was in charge of arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to Gideons International in Nashville, Tenn.