Captain James A. “Jim” Lovell Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.), the Apollo 13 commander whose calm leadership during a life-threatening crisis became a model of poise under pressure, died August 7, 2025, in Lake Forest, Illinois. He was 97.
Lovell was born March 25, 1928, in Cleveland, Ohio. After his father’s death, he moved with his mother to Milwaukee, where he graduated from Juneau High School. It was there, in the city’s classrooms and basements, that he began building and launching model rockets—an early spark that pointed toward the space program.
From 1946 to 1948, Lovell studied engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison through the Navy’s “Flying Midshipman” program, a rare opportunity that allowed him to begin his education when private tuition was out of reach. UW–Madison remained a touchstone throughout his life. In 2017, he returned to deliver the university’s commencement address, telling graduates that his years on campus had been the first step in a journey that would take him around the world and to the Moon’s doorstep.
Lovell’s ties to Wisconsin extended beyond college. Milwaukee embraced him as a hometown figure, and he maintained professional connections to the state long after leaving active duty. His wife, Marilyn, was also a Milwaukee native, and the couple’s family roots in the city ran deep.
Selected as a NASA astronaut in 1962, Lovell flew four space missions: Gemini VII (1965), Gemini XII (1966), Apollo 8 (1968—the first crewed orbit of the Moon), and Apollo 13 (1970). He logged 715 hours in space, a record at the time.
Apollo 13 was meant to land on the Moon, but an oxygen tank explosion crippled the spacecraft en route. Under Lovell’s command, and with the support of the NASA ground team, the crew improvised life-saving measures and returned safely. The mission became known as NASA’s “successful failure” and cemented Lovell’s reputation for steady judgment.
He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1970 and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1995. After retiring from the Navy and NASA, he pursued a successful business career, served on corporate boards, and remained active in public life.
Lovell was preceded in death by Marilyn, his wife of 71 years, who passed away in 2023. He is survived by four children, 11 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
