William H. "Boots" Cullember, an engineer who worked on NASA satellite launches and tracking, died of Parkinson's disease May 22 at the Harmony Hall Assisted Living Center in Columbia. He was 79, and a longtime resident of Annapolis.
A Harwood native, Mr. Cullember was a graduate of Annapolis High School. He joined the Army Air Forces in the last months of World War II, serving until 1947.
Returning to Maryland, he married his high school sweetheart, the former Doris L. Galloway, and earned an associate's degree as an engineering technician from George Washington University.
Mr. Cullember worked for the federal government for more than 30 years, first with the U.S. Naval Engineering Station in Annapolis, then on satellite projects for NASA at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. He retired in 1980.
He and his wife had enjoyed traveling. When their two daughters were young, they toured the United States and much of Canada in their Airstream trailer. After he retired, the couple traveled with members of the Boumi Temple Shrine to Europe and Hawaii.
Mrs. Cullember died in 1995.
Mr. Cullember was a life member of the Annapolis Elks Lodge and a member of the Masonic Blue Lodge and Boumi Temple Shrine. He was a former member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church and St. Martin's Lutheran Church, both in Annapolis.
Services were Friday.
Survivors include his daughters, Dawn C. Hoffman of Pasadena and Cathi Cullember of Florida; two granddaughters; and two great-grandsons.