Jon McBride, West Virginia’s first astronaut, passes away at 80

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Jon McBride, West Virginia’s first astronaut, passed away on Wednesday, according to his obituary from Island Cremations and Funeral Home.

McBride would have turned 81 years old on Aug. 14.

Although born in Charleston, McBride considered Beckley, West Virginia to be his home. McBride was a U.S. Navy Captain and became the first-ever West Virginian to go to space in 1984, and served as pilot of the Space Shuttle Challenger during that mission.

“[Jon] became interested in flying because the mountaintop he grew up on was across from the Charleston Airport where, as a 3-year-old, he played with toy airplanes as he watched the real ones soar overhead, dreaming that one day he would pilot his own aircraft,” the obituary says.

According to his obituary, McBride suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease and cancer.

Visitors to the Island Cremations and Funeral Home website can “light a candle” in McBride’s memory. You can also read a collection of McBride’s stories from space here .

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