Obituary of Ernest S. Strong Jr.

Ernest S. Strong, Jr. (Ernie) passed away early Friday morning, March 6, 2020, as the sun rose over the mountains. A fitting sendoff for a photographer.

He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on January 10, 1943, to Ernest Singley Strong, Sr. and Mary Anthony Strong. He went to Shades Valley High School and attended Auburn University where he received his Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Electrical Engineering. He was a member of ODK and dedicated member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, as well as many other organizations. He was a photographer for the Auburn Glomerata Year Book. While at Auburn Ernie worked with Marshall Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, on telemetry for the Saturn V Rocket. Upon graduation he began work with Texas Instruments in Dallas, TX, where he worked for over 30 years primarily in the Aerospace and Defense Industry focusing mostly on laser guided weapons. He continued his career with Raytheon in Tucson, AZ, where he worked for many years on the Javelin Missile Program and retired as Systems Engineering Manager for the Paveway Program in 2008. In December 1999 Ernie was honored by Raytheon as a Senior Fellow by Peers and Management for “Outstanding Individual and Technical Contributions”. He truly was a “Rocket Scientist”.

Ernie loved wood working, but his lifelong passion was photography. He was a founding member of the Texins Camera Club in Dallas and a former member of the Photographic Society of America where he ranked in worldwide competition in Black and White Photography. His love of photography extended beyond family which he adored to landscapes, lightning, flowers and plants, travel, architecture and wildlife, especially the bobcats here in Tucson.

Ernie and Janet met at Auburn University and married in August 1968. In 2018, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Loving family members include: daughter Kelly Luttrell, husband Eric and grandchildren Tyler and Hailey; son Michael Strong, wife Jessica and grandchildren Kennedy, Landon and Savannah; sister and brother-in-law Lillian and Roy Norris; nephew Jeffrey Norris; John Anthony, uncle.

Ernie was a brilliant man who amazed us with his boundless knowledge. His wit was quick, and he kept us laughing. He loved music, was thoughtful, ever generous and always willing to help a friend. He was our hero!

War Eagle! E. Strong. It’s time to soar with the eagles!

We will celebrate Ernie’s life at an appropriate time in the future, by hosting friends and family, at our home in Tucson, AZ.  Please check in with us on Facebook for additional information, or contact Kelly at 281-798-6596.

In lieu of flowers, we welcome donations to any of Ernie’s three favorites:

Habitat for Humanity https://www.habitat.org/us-az/tucson/hfh-tucson

Auburn University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering https://eng.auburn.edu/ece/give/

Auburn University Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, Alpha Upsilon Chapter, for the purpose of documenting chapter activities through photographic archives. http://www.auburn.edu/fiji/home.html