Who is Jay Lovell, Jim Lovell’s son?

Jay Lovell is the son of Appollo 8’s Jim Lovell. Jay Lovell’s father is an American retired astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot, and mechanical engineer. He is one of the many US astronauts who helped begin the succession of Space flights in the 1960s. In 1968, as command module pilot of Apollo 8, he became one of the first three astronauts to fly to and orbit the Moon. He then commanded the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970 which, after a critical failure en route, circled the Moon and returned safely to Earth. Who is Jim Lovell’s son Jay?

Jay Lovell: Bio Summary

How old is Jim Lovell’s son Jay?

Jay Lovell was born on  February 15, 1955, in the United States of America. He is 68 years old as of 2023. Jay is the second child of astronaut Jim Lovell and his wife Marilyn Lovell. His other three siblings are Jeffrey Lovell, Barbara Lovell, and Susan Lovell. Jay grew up on the East and West coasts but spent most of his time in Houston, Texas. Jay’s parents meet and started dating in high school. They got married the same day Jim’s graduated from the Naval Academy. They have been together for more than seven decades.

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

Jay Lovell is a Chef and restaurateur

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, and currently operates “Jay Lovell’s” restaurant in Highwood, Illinois.

Jay’s father, the astronaut, opened the fine dining 300-seat restaurant, “Lovells of Lake Forest,” in Lake Forest, Illinois, on April 23, 1999, which Jay later took over. Various big names have visited the restaurant, including Tom Hanks, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Frank Borman, actress Barbara Eden and boxer George Foreman.

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

Their restaurant “Lovells of Lake Forest,” displayed many artifacts from his father’s time with NASA, as well as from the filming of Apollo 13. The Lovell family operated the restaurant, of which Jay was the chief chef. The Chef was also very helpful when it comes to the design of the restaurant.

Per Chicago Tribune, Jay Lovell bought the restaurant from his father in 2006 and became the new owner. However, the economic downturn in America during 2008 made it difficult for him to maintain the restaurant profitably. He put the restaurant “Lovells of Lake Forest” on the market up for sale in February 2014 and later closed in April 2015, with the property, furniture, and equipment auctioned the same month.

“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.” However, the Memorabilia from that flight and the artifacts from NASA featured at the restaurant stayed with the family. That included a framed “Apollo 13” movie poster signed by actor Tom Hanks, who portrayed Jay Lovell’s father in a 1995 film based on the mission. Jay Lovell was 14 years old when his father helped avoid disaster aboard Apollo 13.

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

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.

Jay is a married man and has two children

Jay’s parents first meet at Juneau High School when his mother Marilyn was a freshman and his father Jim was a junior after he asked her to Prom. They dated through high school and eventually got married after he proposed with a duplicate of his academy class ring. Jay Lovell is also married to his wife Darice Lovell.

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

Jay and his wife operated the restaurant together. “We started off with a bang, we hit a lull when the rest of the country did and we were able to keep our doors open because they kept coming in,” Darice Lovell said about their restaurant. Jay and his wife Darice first met at Kendall College when it was located in Evanston. They have two daughters, Emily and Katie. The family has been Lake Forest residents for about 10 years. They have been married for more than 3 decades.

At the same time, The couple opened a new, smaller restaurant, called “Jay Lovells,” in Highwood, Illinois. He made the announcement on their restaurant’s Facebook page, stating: “We are just opening a second smaller restaurant along Sheridan Road across from Fort Sheridan,…Fresh, Homemade, Seasonal. A New Restaurant.“

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