Jim Lovell's children: Meet Barbara, Jay, Susan, Jeffery Lovell

Publish date: 2024-05-17

Jim Lovell is a former NASA astronaut and a retired captain in the United States Navy, most famous as the commander of the Apollo 13 mission, which suffered a critical failure en route to the Moon but was brought back safely to Earth by the efforts of the crew and mission control. He was also the command module pilot of Apollo 8, the first Apollo mission to enter lunar orbit. He is one of the first three men to ever orbit the moon.

Who are Jim Lovell’s children?

Aside from being a national asset, Jim is also a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a great-grandfather. Jim has been married for more than 70 years to his high school sweetheart Marilyn Lovell. It’s only a handful of astronaut marriages that lasted. “The prom was coming and I had to invite some girl to the prom, you had to invite junior girls. I invited a girl, but when she found out I wasn’t going to be prom king she dropped me like a hot potato. I didn’t have anyone else, so I invited Marilyn,” The retired Astronaut recalled.

ALSO, READ; Jim Lovell and his wife Marilyn Lovell’s Love Story

Lovell graduated from the Naval Academy at 11 a.m. and by 1 p.m. he and Marilyn were saying their vows. Jim and Marilyn Lovell’s marriage was one of the lucky ones. Their marriage has been blessed with four children- Jeffrey Lovell, Barbara Lovell, Jay Lovell, and Susan Lovell. The couple raised their children on the East and West coasts but spent most of their time in Houston, Texas. Who are Jim Lovell’s children?

Barbara Lovell is the first child of the family

Barbara Lovell is the first child of the couple. She was born on October 13, 1953. As of 2023, she is 70 years old. She was 16 when the Apollo 13 malfunctioned. The Apollo 13 malfunction was caused by an explosion and rupture of oxygen tank no.2 in the service module. The explosion ruptured a line or damaged a valve in the no. 1 oxygen tank, causing it to lose oxygen rapidly.

On the day this event happened, her mother came to her room and told her there was a problem on the flight and that her daddy wouldn’t make it to the moon. “I was worried about my dad not being able to step on the moon. I knew that was his lifelong goal,” she said, Houston Chronicle reported. “My mom told me not to worry, but it was harrowing at that age, to understand how serious it was.”

ALSO, READ; Who is Barbara Lovell, Jim Lovell’s daughter?

She also admitted that it was hard to be the child of an Apollo astronaut — they often didn’t see their fathers until the weekend and never knew if they were in Houston, in Florida, or in space. Barbara Lovell is now a mother of three children and a grandmother of six grandchildren.

Jay Lovell is a Chef and a restauranteur

Being the second child of the couple, Jay was born on February 15, 1955. He is 68 years old as of 2023. Astronaut Jim Lovell’s son chose a different career path from that of his father, Jay Lovell is a chef and restauranteur. He is the former owner of “Lovell’s of Lake Forest” restaurant in Lake Forest, Illinois. A 300-seat restaurant he and his wife, Darice Lovell bought from his father in 2006.

The place closed in 2015, “Tons of memories. Tons of memories here at Lovells,” said Chef Jay Lovell about the sales of his restaurant. “Three years ago, I saw the writing on the wall, 2008 is what really killed us.” They currently operate “Jay Lovell’s” restaurant in Highwood, Illinois. Jay and Darice are the parents of two daughters, Emily and Katie. They have been married for more than 3 decades now.

ALSO, READ; Who is Jay Lovell, Jim Lovell’s son?

Jay was 14 years old when the Apollo 13 malfunction took place. Talking about his Apollo 8 experience, Jay said- “I was twelve years old. I remember being in Florida. We were in the VIP area; there was a grandstand, I remember that, and the big clock ticking down. There’s one photo of us, standing there together watching it take off. You’re about three miles away — you get the rumbling, the shaking of the ground. The Saturn V, that is one powerful rocket taking off.“- PBS reported.

Susan Lovell is the third child of Jim Lovell and his wife Marilyn

Susan Lovell is the third child of the couple. She was born on July 14, 1958. As of 2023, she is 65 years old. Susan was 12 during the Apollo 13 malfunction. Recalling that day, she told the Chicago Tribune-“Everything became really hush-hush. They had these little boxes they would put in our house so you could hear the men talking in space, but they turned those off. They wouldn`t let anybody call us because of what was happening. They didn`t want to upset the family, I guess, while the crisis was happening“

ALSO, READ; Susan Lovell: Where is Jim Lovell’s daughter now?

Her father flew four missions from the time she was 5 until she was 11. Her father’s danger during those early space missions never occurred to her until, the Apollo 13 incident. She remembers running outside crying but was consoled by her mother. She felt relieved after she was told they have landed safely. Susan is now a mother of three children.

Jeffrey Lovell was 4 when the Apollo 13 malfunction

Jeffrey Lovell is the youngest of the Jim Lovell children. He was born on January 14, 1966. He is 57 years old as of 2023. While talking about his experience growing up as the son of a famous Astronaut, Jeff said- “Between flights, when the media wasn’t really on us or the families, we were normal,” Jeff Lovell said, per ABC13 report. “We were going to the swimming pool. We didn’t lock our doors. It was just a regular, hanging out with the engineers next door, it was a regular, easy going family life.“

ALSO, READ; Jeffrey Lovell: Where is Jim Lovell’s son now?

“I remember finding a baseball trophy in the basement,” Jeffrey Lovell Recalled, “and thinking I was going to take it to school and tell everyone my dad was a professional baseball player. I remember thinking that would be really cool.” Jim Lovell gave his son his Apollo 8 Helmet as a Christmas gift and Little Jeffrey insisted to wear his father’s helmet when the family met with newsmen on the successful splashdown of Apollo 8.