Merle A. Economu; Electronics Technician

Merle A. Economu, a senior electronics technician for NASA who held several patents, has died in Palmdale. He was 57.

A longtime Palmdale resident, Economu died Saturday of a heart attack, said his son, Tracy Economu of Palmdale.

Born in Muroc, Calif., Economu graduated from Bakersfield High School and later graduated from a trade school in San Francisco. Despite being afflicted with polio as a child and confined to a wheelchair, Economu began working at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the forerunner to NASA, in 1955. He worked as a senior electronics technician on numerous projects including the X-15 program, a rocket-powered hypersonic aircraft.

Economu held several patents, including one for an instrumentation measuring device used in the aerospace and automotive industries, in addition to receiving several patent awards from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He retired from NASA last year, but remained a senior partner of Space-Age Control Inc., a Palmdale-based manufacturing company that he helped found in 1968.

In addition to his son Tracy, Economu is survived by his wife of 41 years, Shirley Economu; sons Stacy Economu and Ronnie Economu, both of Palmdale; daughter Trina Meltvedt of San Diego; brother Don Economu of Palmdale; sisters Eleanor McNally of Lancaster and Marion Akamichi of San Francisco; and nine grandchildren.

Visitation is planned from 3 to 7 p.m. today and from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Thursday at Chapel of the Valley Mortuary, 38141 6th St. East in Palmdale, which is handling the arrangements. A graveside service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at Desert Lawn Memorial Park, 2200 E. Avenue S in Palmdale.