Augustine Robert Letto

Augustine Robert "Gus" Letto, 90, of Albuquerque, New Mexico died on June 14, 2022. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 28, 1932 to Benjamin and Beatrice Siracusa Letto. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering at Fournier Institute of Technology, Lemont, Illinois, in 1953. He entered the U.S. Air Force in 1954 and, after graduation from Flight Training Class 56-A, spent the next eight years of his service career flying B-47 aircraft for Strategic Air Command at Lockbourne AFB near Columbus, Ohio. He served as an assistant base operations officer at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Saigon, Vietnam in 1966. Upon return to the U.S., the Air Force sent him to Texas A&M University for a Master of Science degree in industrial engineering. After graduation in 1968, he spent most of his remaining service career as an operations analyst working on tests of military weapon systems at Eglin AFB, Florida and Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, New Mexico. He retired from the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center as a lieutenant colonel in 1978.

In civilian life he worked for Science Applications Incorporated, BDM Corporation and Ball Corporation supporting a wide range of system tests and evaluations of government systems. He went into permanent retirement in 2000. He had a long-time interest in the study and documentation of genealogy and family history for his own family and for his wife's related families of Washington County, Ohio. He is survived by his wife, Mary Carolyn Pottmeyer Letto, whom he married at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Columbus, Ohio on May 11, 1957. He is survived by two daughters, Anna Flora of Albuquerque and Beatrice Damron (Phillip) of Farmington, New Mexico. He is also survived by grandchildren, Amber Carpenter (Samuel) and Ashley White, Montana Damron and Lisa Anaya; and great-grandchildren, Savannah and Luke Ward, Layla White and Jacob Prieto, all of Albuquerque. He was preceded in death by his parents, Benjamin and Beatrice Letto.

A memorial service will be held at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, 12500 Carmel Ave NE, on July 7, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. There will be a reception to follow at Tanoan Country Club at 11:30 a.m. Burial will be at Santa Fe National Cemetery at 3:00 p.m.