David Allan Rayburn

Graveside services for Mr. David Allan Rayburn, 85, of Jefferson will be held 11:00 a.m. Tuesday June 30, 2020 at Oakwood Cemetery in Jefferson, Texas with Father John Himes officiating under the direction of Haggard Funeral Home.

David Allan Rayburn was born July 6, 1934 in Huntington, West Virginia to Carl James Rayburn and Pauline Jessie Wiseman Rayburn Long and passed away peacefully at his home on June 23, 2020 in Jefferson, Texas.

Mr. Rayburn graduated from Huntington East High School in Huntington in 1952 followed by graduating with a BS in Electronic Engineering at Indiana Institute of Technology in 1956.

After his graduation from college in 1956, he accepted a position with Consulated Vultee (Corvair Astronautics) in San Diego, California as an Electronics Engineer in their antenna group where he worked on the Atlas ICBM and the Atlas Mercury Space Program. Because of President Eisenhower making the Atlas ICBM program the top priority in the US he was exempted from the military draft program. He was employed by Convair from 1956 until 1962.

Mr. Rayburn left Convair in 1962 after accepting a position with TI (Texas Instruments) Government Division in Dallas, Texas. He was employed in their Strike Missile Program at that time. The Strike Missile was a Navy program which was an air-to ground Radar busting missile (ARM). His task was the antennas and RF section of the missile which would home in on the enemy radar system. This concept was followed by the Harm missile. Afterwards, he was transferred to the R&D Group and was responsible for the new Antenna Group at TI primarily to get the new site going. This consisted of five outdoor antenna ranges and three indoor anechoic chambers for testing broadband antennas and high gain microwave antennas. He was there for approximately eleven years.

In 1963 David met Peggy Duncan in Dallas and they were married August 24, 1963.

Mr. Rayburn left TI around 1975 and was employed by Decibel Products in Dallas, Texas as a Senior Antenna Design Engineer where he was instrumental in the final design of DB’s first cellular base station antenna line.

The position of Chief Engineer/Director of Engineering at Breaker Hallicrafters became available after leaving Decibel Products. After 3 years and the demise of the company he returned back to Decibel Products.

He then left Decibel Products to join E-Systems (now Raytheon) as a Senior Systems Engineer on an electronic surveillance program (Woodstock) for the Saudi Arabian Military where he managed the engineering and final stages of the Woodstock program.

Upon completion he joined Electrospace Corporation as an Engineering Manager and then to Andrew Corporation in Dallas, Texas from whence he retired.

After retirement in 1999 and Peggy’s retirement four years later they moved from Hurst, Texas to Jefferson, Texas in 2005.

His hobby as well as favorite past time was being an amateur radio operator which started when he was 17. He talked to thousands of people all over the world. Sadly, W5NSM will now be silent.

Mr. Rayburn was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Jane Adkins, and step-father Homer Long.

Those left to cherish his memory are the love of his life, Peggy Duncan Rayburn; sons, Carl Judson Rayburn & Charla, Michael Allan Rayburn & Melissa; grandchildren, Prestyn, Henry, Brooks, and Bailey Ann; and sister, Janet Donohue.  He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and friends. 

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to Christ Episcopal Church of Jefferson, Texas or the charity of your choice. 

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