William “Bill” Henry Carden Jr. passed away on May 26th, 2026, in Tullahoma at the age of 89. Bill was born on September 26th, 1936, in Memphis, Tennessee, to the late William Henry Carden and Annie Mae Pace. He married Mildred Elizabeth Greene on July 21, 1961.

Bill graduated with Tau Beta Pi Honors from the University of Tennessee where he earned his BS degree and an MS degree in Engineering.

He then went on to become an aerospace engineer who worked on the rocket engines of the Atlas ICBM, conducted testing on reentry models using hypervelocity wind tunnels and freefl ight ballistic ranges, and worked on protecting manned space capsules from meteoroid impact. He was also involved in testing the first Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite.

During the Cold War, he worked in the production of explosives and solid propellants and helped the intelligence community understand the capabilities of foreign nations in that arena. He performed analyses of foreign missile systems and ways to defend against the developing ballistic missile threat.

Bill was a longtime member of First Baptist Church of Tullahoma where he taught Sunday School, and served as a Deacon. He also served in several leadership roles at the local and regional level with the Kiwanis Club. He also remained a true “Vol for Life” and enjoyed cheering on the Tennessee Volunteers.

Bill is survived by his wife, Mildred Carden; daughter, Susan Carden Parker (Kevin); son, David Norris Carden (Cheri); five grandchildren, Stephen Parker, Sarah Cuellar, Anna Crynes, Ashley Stevens, and Mackenzie Carden; and two great-grandchildren, Atlas Cuellar and Matteo Parker.

Visitation for Mr. Carden will be held on Saturday, May 30th from 1:00pm – 2:00pm at Kilgore Funeral Home. Funeral services will immediately follow in the Kilgore Funeral Home chapel with Bill’s son-in-law, Dr. Kevin Parker officiating. A private graveside service will follow.

For those who wish, in lieu of flowers the family asks that donations in Bill’s memory be made to “Help Hope Live” in honor of Emily Cross, a dear family friend. Donations made will directly support Emily’s medical care and expenses following a kidney transplant- Make checks payable to: Help Hope Live (Note in memo: In honor of Emily Cross) Radnor Corporate Center, Suite 100, 100 Matsonford Road, Radnor, PA 19087. https://helphopelive.org/campaign/841/ Kilgore Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Tullahoma News – June 3, 2026