Obituary of John Milford DeNoyer

John M. De Noyer was born on May 19, 1926 in Kalaw, Burma and passed away on June 6 at the age of 90 He lived in Burma with his missionary parents until he was 7. In 1933 they moved back to the U.S. where he and his sister grew up near Texarkana, Texas. He served as a medic in the U.S. Army in World War II from 1944-1946 and in the Ordinance Division during the Korean conflict from 1950-1951. In those years the G.I. Bill gave many veterans an opportunity to attend college. He earned a B.A. in mathematics from Chico State College and an M.A, and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. From 1957 to 1965 Dr. De Noyer served on the faculty of the Department of Geology and Minerology of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he attained the rank of Associate Professor. While at Michigan he also served as acting Head of the Acoustics and Seismic Laboratory at the Willow Run Laboratories and spent a year at the Institute for Defense Analyses in Washington, D.C. In 1965 he became Deputy Director for Nuclear Test Detection in the Advanced Research Projects agency in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The name of the project was VELA. In 1967 he was asked to join the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as the Assistant Director for Research. This was a time when the "Space Age" was being recognized for its value to the civilian community. John worked closely with NASA and transferred to NASA in 1969 as Director of the Earth Observation Programs. In addition to the meteorological satellites the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) was being developed. ERTS was launched in 1972. (ERTS was later renamed "LAN DSAT"). The Success of the LANDSAT program is outstanding. It is the longest active program in NASA and the partnership between NASA and the Department of Interior, who stores and distributes the data, is an excellent example of interagency cooperation. Dr. De Noyer returned to the USGS in 1972 and directed the Earth Observation Systems program (EROS) for distribution and training for uses of the LANDSAT and other remotely sensed data. His last position was as a research geophysicist at the USGS. John retired in 1991 and with his late wife, Ann Csonka, turned attention to local civic and environmental affairs. He served on the Herndon Town Council for 16 years between 1988 and 2004 and was Vice Mayor from 1990 to 1992 and January 2004 to June 2004. They were both active in nature education and did pro bono consulting for various groups that included Huntley Meadows, Chapman's Landing, Maryland native Plant Society, Maryland DEQ, various individuals, and home owner groups. An area of special interest was the National Pipeline Reform Coalition to foster adequate regulation and enforcement for pipeline safety. John was appointed to the Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQUAC) where he served from 1989 to 1996. He was Chairman of EQUAC from 1991 to 1994. John married Doris Hope Hoffman on November 3, 1951. The marriage ended in divorce after their four children were grown. Early years in the D.C. Metro area were in Chevy Chase, Maryland with his first wife and children. John moved to Herndon in 1983 where he remained with his second wife, Ann Csonka - the love of his life. Ann passed away on March 1, 2014. His surviving children are Barbara De Noyer in Gaithersburg, Maryland; Perry De Noyer and his wife Bonnie in Waldorf, Maryland; and Emory Riley in Falls Church, Virginia. Daughter Linda Jespersen passed away in Colorado in 2002. Stepchildren are Carol Brown in Eldersburg, Maryland; and Steve Csonka and his husband George Parenteau in Sarasota, Florida. A nephew, Dean Gooch and two nieces, Jennifer Honey and Melinda Moreaux and their families, live in northern California. Grandchildren are Shane De Noyer in Colorado, Shawna and her husband Mark Garcia in Colorado, Kyle Jespersen and his wife Mia in Washington State, and Samantha Riley in Pennsylvania. Step-grandchildren are Lyana Brown in Ohio and Mitchell Brown in Maryland. Greatgrandchildren are Cassidy and Jacob Martinez in Colorado, Sapphire and Emerald Jespersen in Washington State, and Bryant Botchick and Kiley Ann Cassell in Pennsylvania. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Chesapeake Bay Foundation. (www.cbf.org) A short memorial service followed by a long party will be held at a place and time to be announced. Online condolences may be made at adamsgreen.com