OBITUARY: Space Program Veteran John Raho, 86, of Merritt Island, Passed Away Surrounded By Family

Enjoyed distinguished career as aerospace engineer

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – John Raho, 86, of Merritt Island, Florida, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family and beloved dog Amber, on October 25, 2025.

Born in the Bronx, New York, John grew up in Queens, where he met the love of his life, Audrey, sixty-five years ago. They were married in 1961 and enjoyed a beautiful and exciting life together that would take them from New York to Florida, then California, before returning home to Merritt Island, Florida.

He spent his life devoted to his lovely wife, whom he loved with all his heart. Together they raised three sons: Johnny, Billy, and Frankie, who predeceased him. He was extremely proud of his boys and cherished them immensely.

As a young family, they always had adventures together, whether going to the beach, boating, cross-country road trips, camping in the family Airstream, or, in later years, exploring in one of his many motorhomes with his wife and dogs.

Those adventures created a lifetime of memories that will live on for his wife and children with great fondness and laughter. John had a great sense of humor and warmth that came naturally without effort.

He was an amazing storyteller —very entertaining and funny without trying. People gravitated towards him (maybe more than he would have liked at times), but he was always welcoming to everyone he met!

He was extremely proud of his distinguished career as an aerospace engineer, from his time at Grumman Aircraft on the F-14 Tomcat to his work on the Apollo program’s Lunar LEM. He would later work in Cape Canaveral on the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station, and Boeing’s Delta rockets launching satellites before his retirement a decade ago.

He absolutely loved his work and would enjoy pointing out his many contributions to all the programs he had been a part of.

A veteran of the U.S. Army, he served as a cook and received honors for his skill as a sharpshooter and expert marksman. He enjoyed telling his kids stories about his days in the army and they enjoyed hearing them even more (of course told with his great sense of humor, made them very entertaining)!

He enjoyed watching and cheering for his favorite sports teams, the Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Lightning, among others. He was also a big muscle car and race fan, a true enthusiast, who always enjoyed working on his cars. His children were relegated to always being there to ‘hold the light’ or go fetch a missing socket; little did they know at the time how much he taught them about working on a car! As a result, his boys inherited his love and passion for cars!

At home, his heart belonged to his many pet dogs over the years, his most recent and loyal companion, Amber, a miniature Schnauzer who followed him everywhere.

Merritt Island also held a very special place in John’s heart, throughout his life, he lived in some wonderful places, however he was most fond of Merritt Island where he enjoyed watching the rocket launches and everything else this great little town has to offer.

One of his greatest joys in life was truly coming home to one of Audrey’s fine gourmet meals she had cooked for him. During the holidays, he would help out in the kitchen, especially preparing homemade pies together. John lived a wonderful life with purpose and strength and was loved by many.

He will be deeply missed by his best friend and beautiful wife, Audrey, his sons Johnny and Billy (wife Wednesday), his grandchildren, Julianna, Johnny, Blake, Brianna, and Jessica. Services will be private.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donating to a local animal rescue in John’s memory.

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