Sartaj Singh
‘Apollo 13: Survival’ is a Netflix documentary that uses archival footage to chronicle the crisis of the Apollo 13 lunar flight. Astronaut Jim Lovell, the commander of the spaceflight, had previously been on the Apollo 8 mission and promised his wife Marilyn that Apollo 13 would be his last mission in space. As the spacecraft was hit with a major electronic malfunction, and it became unclear whether the astronauts would be able to make it back, Marilyn and their children underwent harrowing days of fear, hope, and prayer. With over half a century having passed since the launch of Apollo 13, some may be inclined to uncover how the lives of Jim Lovell’s children – Barbara, Jeff, Susan, and Jay – have played out since.
Barbara Lovell Harrison Spends Quality Time With Her Close-Knit Family
Barbara Lovell was turning 16 at the time of the Apollo 13 launch and, as the eldest sibling, understood the most about the danger her father was in. “I was worried about my dad not being able to step on the moon. I knew that was his lifelong goal,” she said in an interview. “My mom told me not to worry, but it was harrowing at that age to understand how serious it was.” After Jim Lovell’s safe return, the family continued to live in their Timber Cove, Houston, Texas, home. Lovell departed from the Navy in 1973 and began working in the corporate world, and in the ‘80s, the family moved to an expansive, coastal home in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Barbara was close to many of the other children of astronauts, but after leaving Houston, she seemed to leave her affiliations with the space agency behind. She married and had three children. In the late 2010s, she began to take a renewed interest in NASA events such as anniversaries and reunion events. She maintained a very close relationship with both parents, especially her mother, Marilyn, who passed away at the age of 93 in 2023, surrounded by her husband and all four children. Barbara, now beginning her 70s, spends her time visiting her father, three children, and six grandchildren.
James Lovell III is a Chef and Restaurateur Today
James “Jay” Lovell III is the second eldest sibling and was about 15 years old during the Apollo 13 incident. Jay pursued graphic design early in his career before switching to the culinary arts. He became a chef and worked at Chicago’s Deerpath Inn in the ‘90s before he and Jim Lovell made plans to open their own restaurant. Largely financed by the retired astronaut, Jay became the creative and managerial head of the venture alongside his wife, Darice Lovell.
Named the Lovells of Lake Forest, the luxurious fine dining restaurant could seat 300 and opened on April 23, 1999. Its unique selling point was, of course, its direct link to Jim Lovell, further accentuated by NASA memorabilia in the Captain’s Quarters cocktail lounge. The menu also boasted space-themed martinis like The Space Cadet, Super Nova, and Lunar Eclipse. Jim Lovell regularly interacted with patrons, and the establishment was visited by high-profile guests like boxer George Foreman, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Frank Borman, Barbara Eden, and Tom Hanks, whose signed poster of ‘Apollo 13’ hung on the wall. Jay ran the restaurant exceedingly well, introducing specialty dishes and stocking premium wines in their cellar. Jim sold the restaurant to Jay and his wife in 2009.
The restaurant faced tough times during the 2008 financial crisis but was able to keep its doors open owing to regular customers and the establishment’s prominence in Lake Forest. However, after the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial hit was too great, and Jay decided to close down. This didn’t spell the end of Jay and Darice’s culinary journey, and they opened a smaller, diner-style restaurant called Jay Lovells in Highwood, Illinois, where they currently operate.
Susan Lovell Has Moved to Houston With Family
The younger sister, Susan Lovell, was eleven at the time of the Apollo incident and was unaware of the seriousness of the situation. When she observed a communion at their home, Susan realized that there was something very wrong. “I ran outside crying. And my mother ran after me, and she told me my dad was too mean to die,” she recalled. “She didn’t mean it that way. I think she meant he was too strong to die. But then she finally told me the seriousness of it and what was happening, and that made me feel better to know the truth.”
Susan is married and has three children, aged 35, 38, and 42, in 2024. The family lived at the Lovells home in Lake Forest until the early 1990s, after which they moved to Houston for Susan’s husband’s job. When the Lovells Lake Forest home was sold in 2022, Susan contributed to its marketing, emphasizing its unique features and coveted location. “Everybody wants to be on Lake Road,” she said. “It’s very quiet, and it’s half a block from the beach. We’ve spent so many holidays in this home, and come in the summer and have the children run around down on the beach.”
Jeff Lovell Works as a Business Manager for Pfizer
Jeff Lovell was only four years old when the press swarmed outside the Lovell house during the Apollo 13 crisis. As a young child, he did not grasp the danger his father was in. “I was born into the space program,” Jeff Lovell said during a panel at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. “So, my dad being an astronaut was just like anything else other parents did. It was their normal job.” Jeff graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1984. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Advertising from Southern Methodist University between 1984 and 1988.
Jeff Lovell has had a long and successful career with Pfizer, Inc., and continued to work there after 31 years as the Area Business Manager for the Houston, Texas, Area. Jeff is also a board of trustee member of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF), a non-profit providing 60 scholarships annually to college students excelling in STEM. Jeff is approaching 60 and lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife of over 30 years, Ann H. Lovell. They have three children.
Read More: John Swigert Jr: What Happened to the Apollo 13 Pilot?
