Dennis Meyer Bushnell, 84, passed away on Monday, October 20, 2025.  He was born in New Haven, Connecticut to parents Jordan Lawrence Bushnell and Anna Marie Kaiser Bushnell, and grew up in Westbrook and Old Saybrook. Bushnell obtained his M.E. degree from the University of Connecticut in 1963 and his M.S. degree from the University of Virginia in 1967, both in the field of Mechanical Engineering.

He spent 60 years at NASA, the last 28 as Chief Scientist of NASA Langley Research Center. During his first 30 years at NASA Langley, he conducted groundbreaking research in a wide range of areas, including viscous flow modeling and control, turbulent drag reduction, hypersonic flight, and advanced materials. He contributed to the Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs, oversaw technology for the National Aero-Space Plane, and worked on the Delta Wing X-15. He also applied his insight in such decidedly non-NASA areas as Americas' Cup racers and MAGLEV trains.

For his achievements, Dennis was elected to the National Academy of Engineering and named a fellow of the ASME (The American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and the Royal Aeronautical Society and an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Dennis truly had a voracious appetite for reading, a passion for educating others, and a true quest for knowledge. Those close to him knew that he bragged about reading all the books in the Westbrook library by the age of 12. He cherished his time with family and even came to love his wife's beloved Phillies baseball team.

Preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Betty Moriarty, and Alice's grandson, Gage Callahan; he is survived by his wife, Alice S. Callahan; his son, Matthew Bushnell (Fiona); his grandchildren, Cameron Bushnell and Soren Bushnell; Alice's children, Beth Callahan-Brown (Jeff), Jami Brill (John), and Scott Callahan; Alice's grandchildren, Rachel Neal (Josh), Tiffany Gallob (Frank), Annalise Lee, and Mary Brill (Alex); her great-grandchildren, Braxton Cunningham, Daegan Neal, McKenzie Gallob, Camren Lee, James Lee and Mason Lee; his sisters, Sara Perry (Kevin) and Prudence Boyer Bushnell (Spencer) and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the Sentara Hospital and Sentara Hospice team for their exceptional care, compassion, and support they provided for Dennis.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 PM on Sunday, November 23, 2025, at R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home, downtown Hampton.  A reception will follow the service at Virginia Air and Space Museum, downtown Hampton.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the Virginia Air and Space Museum click to donate , Sentara Hospice click for donation information , Habitat for Humanity click here to donate , The Virginia Food Bank click here to donate or the charity of your choice.