Donald Edward Charhut, 83, former long-time resident of Southern California, passed away on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at Saint Camillus Center in Stamford, CT after a brief illness. Don was born September 8, 1932 in Chicago, IL and was the second of three sons born to Genevieve (nee Kozuch) and Francis (Frank) Charhut. Don was a graduate of University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He was drafted into the U.S. Armed Services in 1955 and was stationed in Germany for 3 years. After completing his military service he moved to Los Angeles, CA to work for Douglas Aircraft Company as an aerospace engineer. The focus of his career was on manned space programs. In 1973, he moved his family to Bremen, Germany to lead the McDonnell Douglas consulting team with ERNO Aerospace in constructing Spacelab, a reusable science laboratory that was used on 22 different Space Shuttle flights. After 25 years at McDonnell Douglas, he continued a successful career with other notable aerospace companies before becoming a consultant to both the Germans and Japanese for international space programs. Don received international recognition by his peers by becoming an honorary member of the Swedish Space Society. Don had a wide range of interests including playing golf, bridge, international travel, watching baseball games, Big Band music, and he was an animal lover. In addition to his wife Lenita Charhut, he is survived by his first wife Sigrid Helena Nordlund and their three children; daughter Christina (Dick) Fagerstal of New Canaan, CT, daughter Carin (Gerald) Herring of Swampscott, MA and son Paul (Liz) Nordlund of Laguna Beach, CA; grandchildren Anders, Carl and Maria Fagerstal, Fiona and Isla Herring, and Christopher and Annika Nordlund. Additionally, he is survived by his two brothers Frank (Diane) and Ed (Paulette) Charhut. A memorial service with Military Funeral Honors will be held at the Hoyt Funeral Home in New Canaan, CT Sunday October 25, 2015 at 1:00pm. An additional memorial service will be held on Shelter Island, San Diego, CA on Friday February 5, 2016. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Bob Woodruff Family Foundation (assistance for injured veterans) http://bobwoodrufffoundation.org/donate/ and University of Illinois Civil and Environmental (CEE) Visionary Scholarship Program http://giving.illinois.edu/.