John Silong, a resident of Cocoa, FL, who taught us there is no such word as “can’t” and often said, “Don’t fly with turkeys when you can soar with eagles,” died on September 7, 2021 at the age of 82 in Rockledge, FL. He was born on September 29, 1938 in the Bronx, New York to John and Elise Silong, and was the youngest sibling to Jeannette Arab, Maurice Quang and Ann Silong-West (all predeceased). John was a great American who served in the U.S. Navy for almost 4 years, worked in the aerospace industry for more than 40 years working on
the Apollo program, the B-1A/B USAF Bomber, many Black Programs such as the F-117A, and other projects supporting our nation’s national defense. He retired from Rockwell International at the age of 55 to enjoy “his golden years” because he always said “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere.” He was a resident of the Antelope Valley from the mid-1970’s until the mid-1990’s. John was always looking for a new adventure, living life to the fullest and traveling here, there and everywhere. He was a private pilot for over 50 years, flying and owning multiple types of aircraft, he built boats and navigated the U.S. rivers, he could fix anything, and he made friends with everyone he met. He was a smart, good and faithful man who believed in hard work, and he instilled these values on his children Rick (wife, Gina and children Garrett and Paige), Mitchell (wife, Yoshiko and children Codey and Keannan) and Cindy (son, Finnley). John is also survived by Willa Dean Hunter, his loving partner and best friend for the past 16 years. He leaves behind cousins, friends and drinking buddies who loved him. We would like to thank the staff at the Dr. Jey Pillai Center for Hospice at Wasdin Woods, Rockledge, FL for their loving care for our dad during his last days with us.