William C. Claunch, Sr.

William C. “Bill” Claunch, 80, of Madison, Alabama, passed away on July 4, 2025.

He was born on December 11, 1944, in Jasper, Alabama. He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Auburn University in 1968 and moved to Huntsville shortly after graduation. He spent his professional career working on space travel with NASA.

His work included contributions to the Space Shuttle, Spacelab, the International Space Station, the Ares rocket program, among others.

Bill had a strong interest in cars and automotive history and enjoyed learning and talking about engineering advancements and classic vehicles. He also enjoyed collecting knives. In his younger years, he played the guitar and was a nearly lifelong member of his church choir. He especially loved taking his grandchildren on errands and enjoyed family trips to the Smoky Mountains.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Beverly Claunch; his son, Billy Claunch, and daughter-in-law, Paula Claunch; and his grandchildren, James, Damien, Henry, Stella, and Gracie. He was preceded in death by his parents, Kermit and Dean Claunch, and his brother, Bud Claunch.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, July 12 at 1:00 p.m. at Trinity Baptist Church (1088 Hughes Road, Madison, AL 35758), followed by a funeral service at 2:00 p.m. A private family graveside service will follow at Huntsville Memory Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to one of the following organizations: 

• Alzheimer’s Association – www.alz.org (https://www.alz.org/)

• Huntsville Hospital Hospice Family Care – www.hospicefamilycare.org (https://hospicefamilycare.org/)

• St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – www.stjude.org (https://www.stjude.org/)