Max L. Vickers
Max L. Vickers died on Thursday October 31, 2019 in Lone Tree, Colorado at the age of 86. He was born to Homer H. and Pearlie Allegood Vickers in Moultrie, GA on August 26, 1933. Max graduated from Colquitt County High School in Moultrie, GA with the class of 1951. Max went on to have an innovative and dynamic career in the field of aeronautical engineering.
Max is survived by his two sons Michael Vickers (Becky) of Tallahassee, FL, and Marcus Vickers (Rachel) of Highlands Ranch, CO, and two grandsons Max and Adam Vickers, and his daughter Pam Feltus (Steve) of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, brother Kenneth Vickers (Mary Lou), sister Louise Randall (Don) and sisters in law Barbara Raoul (Abdul), Mary Jo Williamson (Thomas) and brother in law Kenneth Barkley (Gail), who all live in Florida. He is preceded in death by his parents Homer (1978) and Pearlie (2011) and his wife of 53 years Doris (September 2019).
Max married Doris Barkley in December 1965. They had over 53 years of happy marriage and wonderful life adventures together. They lived with their children in several countries including Taiwan, Iran and Saudi Arabia, and traveled extensively through the rest of the world. In 1988 Max retired from his career and they moved to Tallahassee, FL. In 1995 he and Doris moved to Winter Haven, FL. Then, in 2017 they moved to Colorado to be near their grandkids.
After serving our country in the US Air Force Max worked at the Pratt & Whitney research and development facility in Palm Beach County. This led to working on the RL10 rocket engine, the workhorse for second stage unmanned vehicles, and the J-58 jet turbine engine, which powers the famous SR-71 Blackbird. Tainan, Taiwan was Max and Doris' next stop working with Air Asia, a subsidiary of Air America. They then moved to Tehran, Iran. Max took a job with Iran Aircraft Industries, primarily a contractor for the Iranian Air Force. Then he spent a few years back in Florida, working at Cape Canaveral as Pratt & Whitney's Technical representative. During this time, Max worked on the Voyager, Viking, High Energy Astronomy Observatory Program (HEAO) and HELIOS programs. Max then joined Aramco and the family moved to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia where he worked as a manager in the aviation department. Max worked for Aramco for the next 10 years until he retired.
In 1998 due to his work on both the SR-71, the fastest air-breathing aircraft ever built, and Voyagers 1 & 2, the most distant manmade objects from Earth, Max became a member of an unofficial, but very exclusive club - The Fastest and Furthest Club.
During their time living overseas, the family developed a love for travel. They visited over 31 different countries. Some of their favorites included Hong Kong, Tibet, Singapore, Malaysia, England, Afghanistan, and India.
In retirement, Max enjoyed photography and rooting for the FSU Seminoles. He was a member of Roadrunner International and a member of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR).
Max was truly loved and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Interment will take place later at Tallahassee National Cemetery.