Robert P. Dorminy

Robert Paige "Bob" Dorminy (Dorminey), 89, of Morriston, Fla., died peacefully August 15, 2025, surrounded by family.  Born April 8, 1936, on his family's farm near Alapaha, Ga., Bob was the son of Hansell N. "Bogan" Dorminy and Lillian L. (Prosser) Dorminy.

Initially unsure what career path to follow after graduating from Albany High School in Albany, Ga., Bob spent one year working on the family farm. At the end of the year, he decided that farming required entirely too much hard work and headed off to university to pursue a degree. After some bouncing around, he settled on the fledgling Aeronautical Engineering department at Georgia Tech University, where he received his bachelor's degree.

After a stint in the army following graduation from Georgia Tech, Bob was hired by Martin Marietta (later Lockheed Martin), moved to Florida, and met his wife, Janice Cannon Dorminey. He received his master's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Florida, where he also did doctoral work, stopping just short of defending his dissertation because Martin had begun laying off engineers with more advanced degrees.

He was employed as an aerospace engineer at Martin Marietta/Lockheed Martin in the company's Orlando Missile Division for nearly 40 years. While obtaining his initial security clearance for employment at Martin, Bob received a gift from the United States government: an "e" in his last name. He liked to joke that it was easier to change who he was than to get the federal government to change the name on his security credentials, and so the "Dorminey" with an "e" branch of his family was born.  During his time at Martin Marietta/Lockheed Martin, Bob worked on numerous important defense projects, including, but not limited to, the Sprint anti-ballistic missile (ABM), the Pershing II ballistic missile, the Patriot PAC-1 and PAC-2 missiles, and the FGM-148 Javelin missile.

Unfortunately, Bob and many of his Lockheed Martin colleagues were forced into early retirement by the company in the nationwide cuts that affected many industries in the 1990s. Not one to be kept down, he joined the class action lawsuit against Lockheed Martin while simultaneously working for the company as an independent contractor. He later joked that joining the suit was the best investment he ever made.  After leaving Lockheed Martin for good, Bob worked for Coleman Aerospace Orlando on the company's SRALT and LRALT programs. Both programs were used in the development of Israel's integrated air defense system.

An amateur pilot, Bob had a life-long love of all things aviation, especially his 1962 Mooney Mark 21. He was a voracious reader; biographies and books of science fiction and military history were his particular favorites. Bob was proud of his rural Georgia heritage, and although he lived most of his adult life in Florida, he was well-known to proclaim that the air smelled sweeter whenever he crossed the Florida-Georgia state line traveling north.

He will be remembered for his near-photographic memory, his dry, sarcastic sense of humor, his passionate dislike of politicians, his love of boiled peanuts, and for almost always being the smartest person in the room.

Bob is survived by his former wife, Janice Cannon Dorminey, his children, Amy Dorminey Benz and David (Raven) Dorminey, and his granddaughter, Bristol Dorminey.

He is preceded in death by his father, Hansell N. Dorminy, his mother, Lillian L. Dorminy, and his brother, William D. Dorminy.

Graveside services will be held at Fletcher-McMillan Cemetery in Alapaha, Ga., on Thursday, August 21, 2025, at 11 a.m. The Rev. Russ Randall will be officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to the Alzheimer's Association at www.alz.org.