Rudolf "Rudi" Hans Schlidt passed away on Friday, September 28, 2012. He was preceded in death by his parents, Antonia and Carl Schlidt of Wiesbaden, Germany. 

Rudolf Schlidt was one of the last surviving members of the original Wernher von Braun rocket team (Operation Paperclip) that established Huntsville, Alabama as "Rocket City" in the United States. 

He was born July 15, 1914 in Goch, Germany. He studied for his engineering degree at the State Institute for Applied Technology (the Staatliche Hochschule, Koethen-Anhalt). His studies were, however, interrupted when he was drafted for service in World War II. After he was wounded in combat, he was called to Peenemünde, where he served as an engineer for rocket construction, testing and research of high temperature materials. 

At the end of World War II, he married Dorothea Kersten, then secretary of Dr. Wernher von Braun. 

Mr. Schlidt came to the United States with the von Braun team at the close of World War II to establish the United States' program in rocketry. He was originally stationed in Fort Bliss, Texas, where Dorothea later joined him. In 1950 the family moved from Fort Bliss to Huntsville, Alabama. He began work at Redstone Arsenal as the assistant director of the Army Material Test Lab. From 1957 to 1958 he worked closely with Cape Canaveral and was a major project manager for the Explorer I, the first US satellite. He holds several patents and co-patents. 

From 1963 to 1979, Rudolf and his family lived in Germany and Belgium. During this time, Rudolf worked on special projects for various United States aerospace companies. He ended his career as United States representative for the General Dynamic Corporation in Bonn, Germany. 

After his retirement, the family returned to Huntsville, Alabama where they enjoyed life with dear friends and neighbors on their beloved Monte Sano Mountain. 

Rudolf is survived by Dorothea, his wife of 67 years; four children, Sabina Garrett (Geoffrey) of Mercer Island, WA, Kersten Schlidt of Huntsville, AL, Gwendolyn Huss (Christian) of Germany, and Gabriella Schlidt of Atlanta, GA. He has six grandchildren, Jennifer, Benjamin, and Gabriella Garrett, all of Seattle, WA, and Andrea Blank (Hermann), Alexander, and Jessica Huss, all of Germany. He is survived by two great-grandchildren, Benjamin and Tim Blank of Germany. 

The family wishes to thank Dr. Klaus Medenbach and Dr. Randy Burns, Rudi's close friends and physicians, for their great care and compassion in his final days, as well as his caregiver, Barbara Musso, family friend David Young, and Hospice for easing his passage. 

Memorial donations may be made to NAMI Huntsville (National Alliance of Mental Illness), 701 Andrew Jackson Way, Huntsville, AL 35801, or Hospice Family Care (Non-profit), 3304 Westmill Drive, Huntsville, AL 35805 (www.hospicefamilycare.org). 

Graveside services will be held at 3 p.m. Tuesday, October 2 at Maple Hill Cemetery, Inc. Reverend Mary Aiken of the Episcopal Church of Nativity will be officiating. 

Laughlin Service Funeral Home is assisting the family.(www.laughlin.com)
Information provided by Laughlin Funeral Home, internet