Lewis Terry Hatcher Lt. Col. USAF (Ret) of Hershey's Mill, West Chester took his last flight on May 3, 2013.
He was born on April 27, 1923 in Bristol, Va. to the late Grace and Thomas Hatcher.
He was the beloved husband of Theresa Rubert (Biesecker); and dear stepfather of Wayne (Angela) and Bruce (Ann) Biesecker; he is also survived by his brother, Jack (Evelyn). Mr. Hatcher was loved by six grandchildren, David, Bryan, Jenna, Evan, Justin and Katrina Biesescker.
His sisters, Irene Sherman and Sidney Peters, and a brother, Herbert Hatcher, predeceased him.
He served his country as copilot of a B-17 bomber with the 15th Air Force and completed 24 strategic bombing missions over enemy territory. On his 19th mission in 1945 he was forced to make a crash landing after heavy flak knocked out two engines. He "nursed" the plane just over the boarder to allied territory where he was rescued and turned over to an American mission. Terry was honored and featured telling his story in the Ken Burns film The War which aired on WHYY-TV and is currently housed in the Library of Congress.
After WWII, Terry graduated from the University of Maryland (1950) with a B.S. in business administration.
Having been "in love" with airplanes since the age of four, Terry built a career in aviation, working thirty years for Page Beechcraft (now Page Avjet) selling corporate aircraft. He retired as vice president of sales for the Philadelphia area.
Terry was active in many aviation associations including Quiet Birdmen and The Aero Club of PA, where he served as president from 1974 to 1984. He was a former member of the Union League of Philadelphia and Les Bons Vivants, a gourmet dining club.
Relatives and friends are invited to a celebration of Terry's life on Friday, May 10, at the Donohue Funeral Home, 1627 West Chester Pike, Westtown.
Visitation will be from 10 to 10:45 a.m. followed by the life celebration at 10:45 a.m.
Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate donations in memory of Terry to the Aero Club of PA Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 748, Blue Bell, PA 19422 or The Home Care Network, Jefferson Health System, 240 Radnor Chester Road, Radnor, PA 19087.
Published in Daily Local News, West Chester, Chester County, Pa on May 9, 2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His Virginia birth record states Washington County, Virginia.
His WW I draft registration states Bristol, Virginia.
One of those conflicting records.
He was born on April 27, 1923 in Bristol, Va. to the late Grace and Thomas Hatcher.
He was the beloved husband of Theresa Rubert (Biesecker); and dear stepfather of Wayne (Angela) and Bruce (Ann) Biesecker; he is also survived by his brother, Jack (Evelyn). Mr. Hatcher was loved by six grandchildren, David, Bryan, Jenna, Evan, Justin and Katrina Biesescker.
His sisters, Irene Sherman and Sidney Peters, and a brother, Herbert Hatcher, predeceased him.
He served his country as copilot of a B-17 bomber with the 15th Air Force and completed 24 strategic bombing missions over enemy territory. On his 19th mission in 1945 he was forced to make a crash landing after heavy flak knocked out two engines. He "nursed" the plane just over the boarder to allied territory where he was rescued and turned over to an American mission. Terry was honored and featured telling his story in the Ken Burns film The War which aired on WHYY-TV and is currently housed in the Library of Congress.
After WWII, Terry graduated from the University of Maryland (1950) with a B.S. in business administration.
Having been "in love" with airplanes since the age of four, Terry built a career in aviation, working thirty years for Page Beechcraft (now Page Avjet) selling corporate aircraft. He retired as vice president of sales for the Philadelphia area.
Terry was active in many aviation associations including Quiet Birdmen and The Aero Club of PA, where he served as president from 1974 to 1984. He was a former member of the Union League of Philadelphia and Les Bons Vivants, a gourmet dining club.
Relatives and friends are invited to a celebration of Terry's life on Friday, May 10, at the Donohue Funeral Home, 1627 West Chester Pike, Westtown.
Visitation will be from 10 to 10:45 a.m. followed by the life celebration at 10:45 a.m.
Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate donations in memory of Terry to the Aero Club of PA Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 748, Blue Bell, PA 19422 or The Home Care Network, Jefferson Health System, 240 Radnor Chester Road, Radnor, PA 19087.
Published in Daily Local News, West Chester, Chester County, Pa on May 9, 2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His Virginia birth record states Washington County, Virginia.
His WW I draft registration states Bristol, Virginia.
One of those conflicting records.
Lewis Terry Hatcher Lt. Col. USAF (Ret) of Hershey's Mill, West Chester took his last flight on May 3, 2013.
He was born on April 27, 1923 in Bristol, Va. to the late Grace and Thomas Hatcher.
He was the beloved husband of Theresa Rubert (Biesecker); and dear stepfather of Wayne (Angela) and Bruce (Ann) Biesecker; he is also survived by his brother, Jack (Evelyn). Mr. Hatcher was loved by six grandchildren, David, Bryan, Jenna, Evan, Justin and Katrina Biesescker.
His sisters, Irene Sherman and Sidney Peters, and a brother, Herbert Hatcher, predeceased him.
He served his country as copilot of a B-17 bomber with the 15th Air Force and completed 24 strategic bombing missions over enemy territory. On his 19th mission in 1945 he was forced to make a crash landing after heavy flak knocked out two engines. He "nursed" the plane just over the boarder to allied territory where he was rescued and turned over to an American mission. Terry was honored and featured telling his story in the Ken Burns film The War which aired on WHYY-TV and is currently housed in the Library of Congress.
After WWII, Terry graduated from the University of Maryland (1950) with a B.S. in business administration.
Having been "in love" with airplanes since the age of four, Terry built a career in aviation, working thirty years for Page Beechcraft (now Page Avjet) selling corporate aircraft. He retired as vice president of sales for the Philadelphia area.
Terry was active in many aviation associations including Quiet Birdmen and The Aero Club of PA, where he served as president from 1974 to 1984. He was a former member of the Union League of Philadelphia and Les Bons Vivants, a gourmet dining club.
Relatives and friends are invited to a celebration of Terry's life on Friday, May 10, at the Donohue Funeral Home, 1627 West Chester Pike, Westtown.
Visitation will be from 10 to 10:45 a.m. followed by the life celebration at 10:45 a.m.
Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate donations in memory of Terry to the Aero Club of PA Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 748, Blue Bell, PA 19422 or The Home Care Network, Jefferson Health System, 240 Radnor Chester Road, Radnor, PA 19087.
Published in Daily Local News, West Chester, Chester County, Pa on May 9, 2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His Virginia birth record states Washington County, Virginia.
His WW I draft registration states Bristol, Virginia.
One of those conflicting records.
He was born on April 27, 1923 in Bristol, Va. to the late Grace and Thomas Hatcher.
He was the beloved husband of Theresa Rubert (Biesecker); and dear stepfather of Wayne (Angela) and Bruce (Ann) Biesecker; he is also survived by his brother, Jack (Evelyn). Mr. Hatcher was loved by six grandchildren, David, Bryan, Jenna, Evan, Justin and Katrina Biesescker.
His sisters, Irene Sherman and Sidney Peters, and a brother, Herbert Hatcher, predeceased him.
He served his country as copilot of a B-17 bomber with the 15th Air Force and completed 24 strategic bombing missions over enemy territory. On his 19th mission in 1945 he was forced to make a crash landing after heavy flak knocked out two engines. He "nursed" the plane just over the boarder to allied territory where he was rescued and turned over to an American mission. Terry was honored and featured telling his story in the Ken Burns film The War which aired on WHYY-TV and is currently housed in the Library of Congress.
After WWII, Terry graduated from the University of Maryland (1950) with a B.S. in business administration.
Having been "in love" with airplanes since the age of four, Terry built a career in aviation, working thirty years for Page Beechcraft (now Page Avjet) selling corporate aircraft. He retired as vice president of sales for the Philadelphia area.
Terry was active in many aviation associations including Quiet Birdmen and The Aero Club of PA, where he served as president from 1974 to 1984. He was a former member of the Union League of Philadelphia and Les Bons Vivants, a gourmet dining club.
Relatives and friends are invited to a celebration of Terry's life on Friday, May 10, at the Donohue Funeral Home, 1627 West Chester Pike, Westtown.
Visitation will be from 10 to 10:45 a.m. followed by the life celebration at 10:45 a.m.
Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate donations in memory of Terry to the Aero Club of PA Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 748, Blue Bell, PA 19422 or The Home Care Network, Jefferson Health System, 240 Radnor Chester Road, Radnor, PA 19087.
Published in Daily Local News, West Chester, Chester County, Pa on May 9, 2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His Virginia birth record states Washington County, Virginia.
His WW I draft registration states Bristol, Virginia.
One of those conflicting records.
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