LUBBOCK, Texas – What started as launching rockets in the backyard as a young boy, came full circle for a Lubbock U.S. Air Force Veteran Dr. John “Randy” Darby in his death with a send-off into space.
“It just encompassed everything that he loves – technology, innovation, rockets, aviation,” said Dr. Darby’s widow, Corrin Darby. “You’re on the California coast where there are no big cities that have any glow or light going into the sky, so it’s completely dark, and then all of a sudden, the rocket goes off and it’s like the sun is coming up. The whole sky, everywhere, gets lit up so brightly.”
The mission is designed by Celestis, Inc., a company that launches space burial flights. Dr. Darby was one of 120 passengers, 17 of which were Veterans, aboard the spacecraft out of California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base.
“We place a portion of cremated remains in a flight-tested flight capsule that’s inscribed with the name of the person who’s flying,” said Charles Chafer, co-founder and CEO of Celestis Inc. “We place those capsules literally a spacecraft that’s attached to the rocket, and in this case, the rocket placed our spacecraft into low Earth orbit.”
In the 1980s, Dr. Darby served as the chief of flight medicine at the Reese Air Force Base in the Hub City. There, he was able to combine his passion for space and medicine.
“It’s interesting that aviation and the medical field have a lot in common, and he represented that,” Corrin said. “He loved being a physician and treating the pilots and their families. He was always called ‘Doc.’ Everywhere he went in Lubbock, ‘hey, Doc, hey, Doc.’ It lasted his lifetime.”
Corrin said she and her husband had a shared love for aviation. She was a flight attendant while he was a flight surgeon.
“Our lives were always in airplanes, so he loved airplanes,” Corrin said. “He chose the Air Force because he loved flying so much. Although he never got his license, he would fly with the pilots on their sorties, and then on their off time, he would fly around with them.”
Chafer said the journey helps bring closure to families worldwide.
“You don’t ever see as much cheering and high-fiving at funerals as you do at our launches,” Chafer said. “I think that really says it all. It’s an amazing elation, a dream fulfilled, a life’s journey completed.”
Dr. Darby died of Guillain-Barré syndrome at 62 years old on July 10, 2018. His ashes will remain in orbit for a few years before reentering and burning up like a shooting star, which in turn, will create a true ashes-to-ashes experience.
“We just felt it was a great final tribute to him,” Corrin said. “It’s exciting to know that he’s still up there somewhere, having a good time doing exactly what he would want to be doing. That makes us feel so good.”
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