Wayne Carl Annala

Wayne Carl Annala, a resident of Ignacio, Colo. died Sept. 5. He was 53.

Annala was born April 17, 1956, in Laramie, Wyo., to Roy L. and Loretta Annala. He attended grade school in Wyoming, and later, Florida Mesa Elementary near Durango, Colo. He graduated from Durango High School in 1974 and received a bachelor’s degree three years later from DeVry Institute of Technology in Phoenix.

He then worked for several years at the Laboratory.

He returned to Durango in the mid-1980s to pursue his dream of writing astronomy software, and founded a company, Stellatron, which pioneered digital telescope technology used by the military and in universities and observatories across the world.

The five incarnations of his ‘Lodestar’ program were used by authors and private individuals, including one Saudi Arabian prince, and frequently were cited in scientific journals. He later developed an online tracking system for observatories and worked in software development for Draeger Electronics.

Friends and family say Annala loved astronomy, especially astral photography. He had the good fortune to use one of the large telescopes on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

Aside from software, he enjoyed building musical instruments and playing guitar with friends. He built and flew precision radio-controlled airplanes and helicopters and restored a vintage Volkswagen Beetle from wreckage to classic beauty.

He enjoyed fine woodworking. He skied on snow and water and loved to cycle.

Annala is survived by his parents, Roy and Loretta Annala of Durango; sister, Holly Annala of Crested Butte, Colo., and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.