Jerry Arthur Hager; Retired Rocketdyne Engineer

Jerry Arthur Hager, a retired Rocketdyne engineer who worked on several major space projects, has died at his Woodland Hills home. He was 58.

Hager died Wednesday of a heart attack, said his son, Jerry Hager III.

He was born March 7, 1932, in Prestonsburg, Ky., and moved to California in 1956. He worked for North American Aviation Inc. and then for the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International. Hager worked on the X-15 rocket plane, and the Mercury and Apollo spacecraft, his son said. He retired in 1987, but continued to serve as a consultant to Rocketdyne and the European Space Agency.

During the 1970s, Hager was an assistant scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 505 and was active with Explorer Post 505. He also sat on several Eagle Scout boards of review for the Great Western Council, Topanga District, and was a longtime member of the Sierra Pacific Flyfishers.

He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Mary Louise Hager; son Jerry Hager III of Reseda; daughter Judith VanWyk of Paris; brother James Hager of Prestonsburg, Ky.; and sisters, Rose Davic of De Land, Fla., and Jane Carpenter of Sequim, Wash.

A memorial service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday at St. James Presbyterian Church of Tarzana, 19414 Ventura Blvd. Pierce Brothers Praiswater Mortuary in Canoga Park is handling the arrangements. Donations can be made in Hager’s name to the American Heart Assn., Northwestern Division; Sierra Pacific Flyfishers; or the Boy Scouts of America.