There are so many interesting aspects about my parents, I hardly know where to begin. My father was orphaned at 12 so I never knew my grandparents. During WWII he flew 35 missions as a radio operator/waist gunner in a B17 with the 457th Bomb Group. He and my mother went to college on the G.I. Bill after the war and I saw them graduate.
My mother is the second of five girls, and the Lindsey girls are quite special. All but one survived into their 90s—Mom passed away in December, 2014, age 95. Audrey passed in April of 2015, age 90, Opal passed in September, 2015, age 94, and Lois passed away in May 2016, aged 89, just three months short of 90. Lyla turned 100 in April, 2018, and is closing in on 101. Remarkable.
My mother also served in the Army during WWII, something I’ve always been especially proud of. My daughter has always relished telling her friends that her grandmother wore Army boots (that used to be a common insult years ago).
Here is a picture of them in khakis when they got together on leave at George Field, Illinois, in 1945 after my father had finished his 35 missions.
This is another of them in their Class A’s about the same time.
And this is Mom and Dad at their 50th wedding anniversary in 1990.
My father passed away on 14 October, 1995. We had his medals displayed at his funeral, and an honor guard from the local VFW played Taps and showed the flag.
Last updated: 11 March 2019
Main Page