James Keirsey

James L. Keirsey , 91, of Frederick, Maryland, passed peacefully on Tuesday, July 25, 2017, after a brief illness.  He was the husband of the late Mary Adelyn Bozarth.  They were married on September 9, 1948 at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco, TX.  Born on November 10, 1925 in Brownwood, TX, he was the son of Robert L. Keirsey and Lilla  (Lowndes) Keirsey.

Jim graduated from Waco High School in May of 1942.  He then entered Texas A&M to study mechanical engineering, completing his freshman and sophomore studies in June 1944, when, during WWII, he entered the United States Marine Corps at age 18.

Following boot camp in San Diego and infantry line camp at Camp Pendleton, CA, he was sent to the Pacific, joining the 6th Marine Division at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.  While on Guadalcanal, Jim was involved in intelligence pre-invasion planning for the upcoming Okinawa operation, and with the 6th Division in the landing at Okinawa on April 1, 1945.  The Okinawa operation lasted over 3 months.  His division then went to Guam to prepare for the invasion of Japan.  After the dropping of the atomic bombs and the surrender of Japan, the division was sent to Tsingtao, China for repatriation of the Japanese soldiers.  He remained in China until July, 1946, when he returned to San Diego for discharge. Jim then re-entered Texas A&M in September 1946 completing his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1948.

After graduating, Jim worked for three years as a ramjet test engineer at the Navy's Ordinance Aerophysics Laboratory in Daingerfield, Texas. Jim and Mary made their home in Longview, Texas.

In October 1951 they moved to Silver Spring, Maryland where Jim worked for 36 years with the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), the Johns Hopkins University in the Propulsion Engineering Group, developing ramjet engines and Fleet defense missiles for the U.S. Navy. Jim had numerous patents for inventions on air-breathing engines and air intakes.

During Jim's retired years, he and Mary moved to Frederick, while he continued consulting with the Applied Physics Laboratory and writing papers for APL as well as writing a section on Ramjet Design for the Handbook of Fluid Dynamics and Fluid Machinery (John Wiley & Son, 1996). Jim has offered numerous technical papers in the propulsion field for the AISS, ASME, JANNAF (Joint Army, Navy, NASA and Air Force), and the Navy. He is a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) since 1963 (48 Years).

Jim and Mary were members of the Brook Hill United Methodist Church in Frederick since 1993. They also enjoyed hobbies of fishing and boating on the Chesapeake Bay, family research (genealogy), square and round dancing and RV travel in the U.S. and Canada.

He is survived by his daughters, Luanne Keirsey and her husband, Dr. Robert Goodwin, and Elizabeth Keirsey and her partner Tom Withers; grandchildren, Gabriel, Aaron, Brady, Perry, and Lucie; as well as his beloved niece, Barbara King.

A celebration of James's life will take place on Monday, August 7 at 11:00 AM at Brook Hill United Methodist Church, 8946 Indian Springs Road, Frederick.  Interment will be in Resthaven Memorial Gardens after service and luncheon.

Expressions of sympathy may be offered to the family at staufferfuneralhomes.com.