HARTSELLE, Ala. (WHNT) – On Sunday and Monday, the world of space and rocketry in north Alabama will pause to honor and remember the long-time assistant to Dr. Wernher von Braun, Bonnie Holmes.

She passed away Friday, December 5th, at a nursing home in Morgan County.  She was 83 years old.

According to an online obituary by Peck Funeral Home in Hartselle, visitation will be Sunday, December 7th, from 5:00PM to 9:00PM at Peck Funeral Home. Her funeral service will be Monday,  December 8th, at 2:00PM at Hamby’s Chapel.   She will lie in state from 1:00PM to 2:00PM prior to the service.

Holmes was the trusted personal secretary to Dr. Wernher von Braun for 18 years and a beloved figure at Marshall Space Flight Center.

WHNT NEWS 19’s news partners, The Huntsville Times / Al.com, reports von Braun’s daughter Margrit called Holmes “the superglue of Apollo”  as she worked alongside the NASA leader.

The Huntsville times reports that Holmes was so trusted by von Braun that when he was reassigned to Washington, he asked her to move along with him.  She didn’t want to leave Alabama, but von Braun convinced her to travel to Washington and help him interview potential successors.

She continued as an assistant for other executives at Marshall Space Flight Center, then worked at the Alabama Space and Rocket Center before her retirement, when she became active in civic duties in Eva.