Long-time resident of Ormond Beach, Henry C. Elkins (age 90) passed away peacefully, Thursday, April 5, after a long battle with Alzheimer's. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Edna, and is survived by his daughter Kitty Garber (Dick), grandchildren Kimberly Garber Keiserman (John) of Port Washington, NY, and Rick Garber (Salena) of Rising Sun, MD; and great grandchildren Kathryn and Susanna Keiserman and Gideon and Juniper Garber. He was predeceased by his brother James E. Elkins and sisters Frances Robinson and Mary Alice Drummond. He is survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

Born May 5, 1927, in Hope, Arkansas, Henry was raised in Jonesboro, Louisiana. After graduation from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific theater at the end of World War II. On November 18, 1946, Henry married Edna Colvin at his parents' house in Jonesboro. The G.I. bill allowed Henry to attend Louisiana Tech and earn a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1951. Upon graduation he accepted a job offer from a little-known government agency, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), based at Langley Research Center, Langley Air Force Base, Hampton, Virginia. A few years later, NACA became NASA—the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

During his 27 years with NASA, Henry researched and designed automatic guidance systems for newly emerging types of air- and spacecraft and developed simulator systems for pilot and astronaut training. He worked on all the space missions—Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.

He was especially proud of his redesign of the control systems for the Lunar Lander Research Facility, which allowed the astronauts to practice landing a vehicle on the moon and then walking on the surface in a simulated lunar environment. All astronauts scheduled for lunar flights trained on the system and said it perfectly reflected actual lunar landing conditions. He also designed controls for the Gemini Rendezvous Simulator and for the Rotating Space Station. When the NASA space program moved to Houston, Henry stayed at Langley, where he primarily focused on designing guidance systems for new generation helicopters and other VSTOL (vertical and short takeoff and landing) aircraft.

In 1980, after retirement from NASA, Henry and Edna moved to Ormond Beach.  Henry took up tennis, often playing five hours a day, and enjoyed running on the beach. He competed in the Easter Beach run for many years. Henry and Edna enjoyed fishing, boating, and camping throughout Florida. But their top priority was being near their grandchildren and teaching them to enjoy the great outdoors.

A Celebration of Life will be held at St. James Episcopal Church, 38 S. Halifax Drive, Ormond Beach 32176, at 11:00 a.m., Monday, April 16. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Bishops Glen Employees' Fund (Willows) or Halifax Hospice. Arrangements are under the care of Lohman's Funeral Home, Ormond Beach. Condolences for the family may be shared at www.l ohmanfuneralhomes.com.