This is so sad, but I agree that is it a great obit. He is a distant cousin of mine! Thanks Julie for sharing. Teresa Bunch Noe On Tue, Mar 15, 2011 at 2:00 PM, Judy <middleridgefarm@yahoo.com> wrote: > What a great obituary. > > Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone > > Julie Cromwell <janncromwell@highland.net> wrote: > > >We will all miss Neal and his contributions to genealogy! Rest > >peacefully friend!! > > > > > >BYRGE, NEAL BURNARD, Senior Master Sergeant United States Air Force > >Retired, departed for the "Wild Blue Yonder" 14 Mar 2011. Coal miner, > >Soldier, Airman, and author of the published Byrge family genealogy, > >Neal was born 14 Aug 1922 in Kettle Island, Bell County, Kentucky to the > >late Jasper Porter Byrge (1899-1935), a native of Scott County, > >Tennessee, and Dona Elsie Ferguson (1899-1952), a native of Claiborne > >County, Tennessee. Preceded in death by Mona Geraldine Walters Byrge, > >wife of 63 years; sisters Mary Helen (1928-1936), Lois Hope (m. Foster > >Minton) (1920-2005), Francis Imogene (m. Walter Graham and Hatler Cook) > >(1924-2003); sons Infant (b/d 1952), Thomas Porter (1945-2003), David > >O'Neal (1947-2005); grandsons Kyle Burnard (b/d 1972) and Timothy Gordon > >Fischer (1969-2003); and great-grandson Kember McCray Peele (b/d 2010). > >Survived by daughters Mona Marlene (m. Phillip Angelo); Lucy L'Dona > >Byrge (m. Jerry Tackett); and ten grandchildren and 16 > great-grandchildren. > > > >On 17 Jan 1944, Neal married Mona Geraldine ("Jerry") Walters of > >Middlesboro, Bell County, Kentucky, daughter of William Thomas Walters > >(1874-1940) and Lucy Andrew (1884-1979), both natives of Whitley County, > >Kentucky. Jerry was born 24 May 1924 in Spencer, McLean County, South > >Dakota and died 26 July 2007, in Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida. > > > >At age 15, Neal skipped school to become a coal miner but, with all due > >respect to coal miners, later decided it just wasn't for him. On 20 Sep > >1940, at age 18, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps. A > >veteran of the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations during World War > >II, Sergeant Byrge served with the 63d Army Airways Communications > >Service, part of the 14th Air Force "Flying Tigers." Subsequent tours > >included 18 months in Alaska (1948-1949), and service during the Korean > >Conflict with the "Mosquitoes" of the 6147th Tactical Control Group, > >part of the 5th Air Force. Neal also served three years on the Island of > >Bermuda (1963-1966), often joking that it "was one tough tour, but > >someone had to take it." Senior Master Sergeant Byrge retired from the > >United States Air Force on 1 Aug 1968, and continued working with the > >Hillsborough County Automobile Inspection Department and Board of Public > >Instruction until 1 Jan 1983. > > > >Known as "Pop" to some and "Gramps" to most, Neal never met a stranger. > >Everyone was an opportunity for conversation, and it usually involved > >genealogy or Florida State University football -- he was their biggest > >fan. A Kentucky hillbilly with a big heart, Neal wanted more than > >anything to simply be remembered. He got his wish - in so many ways, > >Neal will forever be a part of us. He forever will be loved and missed > >by all who knew him. > > > >The family will receive friends at 9:00 am Thursday, 17 Mar, at > >Marsicano-B. Marion Reed-Stowers Funeral Home, 4040 Henderson Blvd in > >Tampa, Florida. Funeral services will follow at 10:00 am in the funeral > >home chapel with Pastor John Meisenbach officiating. Graveside services > >and burial will be held at approximately 12:30 pm at the Florida > >National Cemetery in Bushnell. > > > >In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Air Force > >Aid Society at (800) 769-8951 or www.afas.org. > > > >------------------------------- > >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > TNMORGAN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > TNMORGAN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >