Jeff Greason: 'There Wouldn't Have Been An XCOR Without Her'

One of the founding members of XCOR has Gone West. Loretta "Aleta" Jackson DeLong passed away Sunday due to complications from chemotherapy treatments for ovarian cancer. She was 68 years old.

The Midland (TX) Reporter-Telegram reports that according to XCOR founding member Jeff Greason, there would not have been an XCOR without DeLong. She was the one, he said, who inspired him and others when they were laid off from Rotary Rocket company. Greason said DeLong "ran around behind the scenes telling us we were too close to quit and we had to try this again."

Greason, who went on to found Agile Aero, also based in Midland, said while DeLong stayed in the background, she was instrumental in helping ideas become a reality.

DeLong started as as an engineer at an Indiana Institute of Technology coop working on the Gemini project for the McDonnell Aircraft Corp, according to an obituary sent to the paper. She went on to join the U.S. Air Force, and then worked for Xerox as a repair technician.

She had been the office manager at Rotary Rocket Co, and while Greason, Dan DeLong and Doug Jones got XCOR going, she worked as a reporter and editor for the Mojave Desert News.

Earlier this year, she and DeLong were married. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer the next day, according to the report.

FMI: www.xcor.com