Daniel Emory Booz, Jr.

Mr. Daniel Emory Booz, Jr. 79, of Lake City, passed away Tuesday morning surrounded by his loving family at his residence after dealing with lung and brain cancer for seven years. Dan was born in Richmond, Virginia on January 16, 1937 the son of Daniel Emory Booz, Sr. and Elizabeth Dorset Gilliam Booz. The family moved to south Florida in 1949. He was raised in Miami and graduated from Coral Gables Senior High School in 1955, and then enrolled in the University of Florida where he graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering Degree, and was employed by Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in West Palm Beach Florida as an Aeronautical Engineer. He married the love of his life, Sharon Markham on September 4, 1960. At this time the national interest in the Aerospace field was in building very large rockets and space ships to meet the national goal of landing on the moon.  Dan’s first ten years at Pratt & Whitney were involved in developing exhaust nozzles for very large liquid rocket engines, including testing of a new concept called a “plug cluster nozzle”. As the moon landing goal was met, the airplane industry turned to Stealth Technology as a new, powerful technology to combat foreign fighter aircraft. Dan made a significant contribution at Pratt & Whitney by founding the Pratt & Whitney Stealth Technology group in 1979. During the next 15 years he managed the Stealth Group in pioneering work for afterburning fighter engines. The end result was a major contributor to Pratt & Whitney being awarded the F-119 engine contract to power the USAF Lockheed F-22 Stealth Fighter. The F-22 was the first afterburning stealth aircraft. Dan remained at Pratt & Whitney his entire professional career-retiring in 1994 (34 years). After retirement from Pratt & Whitney Dan worked for over 5 years on a part time basis for the United States Department of Justice, Washington D.C. as an expert witness in litigation on Stealth Fighters. Dan was always an extremely active enthusiast in all types of sports and his family was always fully involved with him. He loved fishing, boating, water skiing, sports cars, and dirt biking. He was an avid member of the Gator Nation, The Dolphin Nation, and the NASCAR Nation. In 1995 he and his family moved to Lake City, FL, his wife’s hometown. He became active in Hopeful Baptist Church and loved working with and helping the office staff there. During the years he fought cancer, he took comfort in Isaiah 40:31- “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They will soar on wings like Eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint”. At the end of his life, he looked forward to his final move…..to Heaven. Dan is survived by his wife of 56 years, Sharon Markham Booz; three children, Benjamin Eric Booz (Sherri) of Prague, Czech Republic, Valerie Booz Kauth (Kevin) of East Lansing, MI, and Bonnie Booz Mattson (Mike) of Lake City; 5 grandchildren, Abby, Seth, and Sadye Booz and Mark and Brandon Kauth. Funeral services for Dan will be conducted at 11:00 am, on Saturday, April 30, 2016 at Hopeful Baptist Church with Reverend Zeb Cook and Reverend Richard Rodriguez officiating. Interment will follow at Hopeful Baptist Church Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be held from 5:00-7:00 P.M. Friday evening at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, Dan requested donations be made to Hopeful Cemetery Fund, 289 SE Hopeful Drive, Lake City, FL 32025. Please leave words of comfort for the family on the online guest book at www.gatewayforestlawn.com. Arrangements are under the direction of GATEWAY-FOREST LAWN FUNERAL HOME, 3596 S. HWY 441, Lake City, FL (386) 752-1954.

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