James Marlowe Obituary

Marlowe
JAMES DOUGLAS MARLOWE
September 9, 1955 April 3, 2020
Our beloved dad, James Douglas Marlowe, went to be with the Lord on Friday, April 3, 2020. Born on September 9, 1955 in Alexandria, VA and raised in Spartanburg, SC, Doug was the oldest of four children born to Jim and Dolores Marlowe. Doug was a proud Air Force Academy graduate in the class of 1977. He spent the early part of his career flying F-4's in Germany, completed Top Gun School, and went to Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. For the majority of his Air Force career, he served as an F-16 Test Pilot at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, AZ. He always said he never worked a day in his life flying airplanes because he was getting paid to do what he loved! Of the many contributions he made, the one he was most proud of was developing the Situational Awareness Data Link (SADL) which directly assists the warfighter in preventing death by friendly fire. He also was the first pilot chosen for Test Pilot School out of the Air National Guard. He retired as a Colonel from the Air National Guard and went to work as a Senior Executive Service (SES) at the Air Force Operational Test Center (AFOTEC) in Albuquerque, NM. Doug eventually transitioned to the Missile Defense Agency at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, where he was responsible for overseeing significant advances and contributions to the Command and Control Battle Management & Command program. Doug earned countless honors and awards over his career, as well as being a mentor, leader, forward thinker, and innovator.
He loved to fish, hunt, attend Air Force football and hockey games, spend time at his childhood South Carolina lake house, and play with his grandchildren.
Doug will be lovingly remembered by his mother, Dolores Marlowe, his three daughters, Becky (Erik) Cramer, Jenny (Blake) Marvin, and Kim (Shawn) Jarrett, whom he shared with his former spouse, Barbara Marlowe. Doug will also be lovingly remembered by his four grandchildren, Ashlyne & Jackson Cramer, and Colton & Harper Jarrett, his sisters, Brenda (Terry) Ledford and Barbara DeSantis, as well as his nieces and nephews, Emily & Jared Ledford, Danielle DeSantis, and Scott (Jenny) Olson. Doug will also be remembered by many aunts, uncles, and cousins who all loved him very dearly. Doug is also predeceased by his father James Ralph Marlowe and his brother William F Marlowe.
Please join us for a formal service at the United States Air Force Academy to celebrate Doug's life. We will share the date and information as soon as we are able to schedule it.