Allyn Aldrich

Allyn McIntosh Aldrich, 88, passed away Saturday, May 9, 2026.

Mr. Aldrich was born in Denver, Colorado to the late Arthur and Virginia McIntosh Aldrich. He was also preceded in death by a brother, Richard Aldrich and a sister, Vernice Jaeffi.

Allyn was a former Aerospace Engineer and a Director at Kearfott Corporation. He had worked on every major space program in the 20th century including the moon launches and space shuttle. He held several patents. He was an early model airplane flyer who wrote design articles for model airplane magazines when he was in school. He also enjoyed working on his cars, as well as building additions onto and upgrading areas inside of his homes.

He was a lifetime member of the Episcopal Church, with Grace Episcopal in Asheville being the most recent. He had worked with ABCCM as a financial counselor. He was very active in healing ministries and Bible learning, often traveling with his wife to where people needed healers.

He enjoyed camping, fishing, hiking, and traveling and in his later years spending a lot of time in Arizona with friends. He lived with his family in Italy during the early 1970’s and, and after living in Illinois & California, moved to Asheville in the early 2000’s. He considered Asheville to be the best place to live of all the places he had resided in during his lifetime.

He is survived by his wife, Joan Aldrich; two sons, Kevin Jon Aldrich (Marla McGinnis) and Eric Steven Aldrich (Mary); a daughter, Katherine Heather Jacobson Soto (Alejandro); seven grandchildren; four great grandchildren; and his sister-in-law, Diana Aldrich.

A Memorial Service will take place on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 3:00 pm at Grace Episcopal Church in Asheville.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ACCBM) at https://www.abccm.org/