Walter Earl Pearson, 91, of Eugene, OR, and having family members in Huntington County, IN, died Monday, March 11, 2013.

Mr. Pearson was a veteran of World War II, serving as a United States Army cryptographer in the Philippines and later under Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Tokyo. He earned degrees in mathematics and science from Ball State University.

After moving to San Jose, CA, he taught high school math and earned a master's degree from Sanford University. He later joined NASA, where he calculated orbital trajectories for satellites and the Pioneer space probes.

He was born in 1921 in Knightstown to Russell and Fannie Americus Montgomery Pearson. He married Marjorie Prible on March 10, 1948, and she survives.

Additional survivors include four sons, Jim (Barbara) Pearson, of Corvallis, OR; Greg (Joan) Pearson, of California; Paul (Rachel) Pearson, of Florence, OR; and Tom (Hulya) Pearson, of Manhattan, KS; a daughter, Jan (Gary) Halvorson, of Eugene, OR; and six grandchildren, John, Sven, Sonja, Sam, Blair and Fiona.

He is also survived by cousins Larry Whinery, Lois Beaty and John and Jane Vickrey and nephew Kim Prible, all of Huntington County.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 23, 2013, at 11 a.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Eugene, OR.

Rose Mortuary Cremations & Burials in Palm Desert, CA, is in charge of arrangements.