Dr William (Bill) G. Kitto

Feb 12, 1944 – Nov 29, 2025

 Bill (second from right with hat) with some of his Red Hat buddies at 2024 Edwards Reunion.

Obituary

Dr Bill Kitto (William George Kitto) passed away peacefully in Lancaster, California, from interstitial lung disease on November 29, 2025.

Born in Richmond, Virginia, to William Kitto and Frances Socha (nee Barnes), Bill was a respected mathematician, much-loved husband, father and grandfather, and a loyal friend to many.

Bill served as a paratrooper in the Army’s 504th and 509th Airborne Battle Groups between 1962 and 1965. He then pursued higher education at the University of Colorado, Boulder, graduating with highest honors (summa cum laude) in mathematics in 1969. He went on to earn his PhD in mathematics from the University of Washington, Seattle, in 1973. During his graduate studies in Washington, he met Rebecca Roebuck, who would become his wife. Bill and Becky married in May 1971.

Bill began his career in 1975 as a mathematician with the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base. Edwards AFB is known as the “center of the aerospace testing universe” where most U.S. military aircraft and future aviation technology are tested and developed. Bill founded and led the base’s Statistics department. Known for his expertise in data analysis, he advised colleagues and mentored many mathematicians. He became the “go to person” for anyone at Edwards seeking advice and help on solving complicated flight test data analysis problems. Bill provided valuable leadership insights and consistently contributed to high-quality data analysis. He also recruited and inspired many young people to come to Edwards to work as civilian scientists and engineers. He retired in 2013 after a distinguished career.

Following retirement, Bill dedicated himself to teaching mathematics at Antelope Valley College. He developed and led a new course in applied statistics and was still an active instructor at the time of his death.

His interests extended well beyond his work life. Bill enjoyed a wide range of outdoor activities including mountain biking, scuba diving, freediving and spearfishing. He was deeply involved in the spearfishing community. He invented a unique speargun release mechanism that he produced and sold. He collaborated with other machine-oriented divers and helped develop some of the most sought-after spearguns in the world.

Bill is survived by his wife, Dr Becky Kitto; his son, Will Kitto; his daughter, Camille Smith; and three grandchildren, Sophie, William and Jacob Smith.