Col. William Arthur Lusby Jr., USAF Retired

William Arthur Lusby, Jr. “Art”, 93, was born in Washington, DC to William Arthur Lusby and Kathryn Leonard. Art has a sister, Jean, who lives in North Carolina and a brother, Leonard, deceased.

Art attended the Naval Academy at Annapolis and met his wife, Marcella, on a blind date and were engaged later that year. They wed on November 27, 1952, which was Thanksgiving that year.

Upon graduation, Art joined the US Air Force and the family moved across the country many times. Art and his wife, Marcella, had 7 children over the next ten years.  Along the way, he spent a couple of years in State College, PA where he earned a Master’s Degree from Penn State.  Among his many assignments he was a test pilot at Edwards AFB and later one of the few elite to fly the SR71 Blackbird (which still holds the world speed and altitude record) and was chief engineer of the test program. After a 25 year career in the USAF, where he retired as a full Colonel, Art had a second 15 year career working for Northrop Grumman in El Segundo, CA managing advanced transportation development programs. He retired in 1998 and moved with his wife to Ukiah, CA. Since his wife’s passing in 2010, Art lived with his daughter Teresa, son Andrew, and grandson Conner.

Art is survived by his sister, Jean Hambleton, and children Marcella Manning, Pat Williams, Andrew Lusby, and Teresa Lusby. He is predeceased by his wife Marcella, son Billy, son Michael, and daughter Cathy. Art has twelve grandchildren of whom he is very proud.

Art grew up on the Chesapeake Bay where his father lived and loved to catch and eat crab. He loved the ocean and while working at Northrop he bought a house in Huntington Beach, CA on the water where he had a fishing boat. He loved to body surf and fish with his grandchildren by the pier.

Funeral arrangements are in process and he and his wife, Marcella, will rest together at the Columbarium at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Mary’s Church or School of the Angels.