George Crosby Sr. went home to be with the Lord on Feb. 19, 2016, after an extended illness of many years.
George was born in Pensacola, Florida, on Mar. 13, 1928, and spent his early childhood in that area. He later at-tended Murphy High School in Mobile, Alabama, prior to joining the Merchant Marines in May 1945. While in the Merchant Marines he traveled from Mobile to the Persian Gulf and back again with stops all over the Pacific.
On Mar 13, 1946, he joined the Army Air Corp. He attended Basic Training at Lockland Air Force Base, Texas, and was sent to Boca Raton Air Field, Florida, for Radar/Electronics tech school.
While attending tech school at Boca Raton Air Field, he met and married the love and passion of his life, Sybil Smith, at the USO in Delray Beach, Florida, in April 1946. They didn't start dating till the following year, on Jan. 28, 1947. They were married there on April 10, 1947, and have remained happily married for almost 69 years. When the Air Force became a separate military service in June of 1947, he became an Airman and proudly served in the Air Force for 28 years, working as a radar electronics specialist/trainer until his retirement in March 1973, as a senior master sergeant.
George had an exceptional career. He enlisted right after the birth of radar, and helped to grow it and establish it into the life saving gift that it is now. In Germany after the war, he flew with the teams that were the precursor to the U2 flights along the Russian border. The things he did in Vietnam were so secret that, to this day, no one talks about them. Actually there were so many that they're just too numerous to mention. What George would have said though was that it was always him and a team of many fine men and women that got the job done. He never took credit for all of anything.
After his retirement from the Air Force he tried his hand at several different occupations, initially working at the Coca-Cola plant in Valparaiso as an accounts clerk; and then at Harris Manufacturing in Fort Walton for 10 years with Flow Souder Machine; and finally for American Security, before beginning his retirement in 2003.
George was preceded in death by his parents, Ben Floyd Crosby and Jessie Cason both of Weir County, Geor-gia; his brothers, (chief master sergeant, retired) O. Leo Crosby and (lieutenant colonel, retired) John M. Crosby; and his sisters, (licensed vocational nurse, retired) Sadie M. Goodwin and (GS12, retired) Doris K. Witchen.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Sybil Crosby; daughter, Julia (Crosby) Crawford, and her husband, Gary; his son, George Crosby Jr.;
He is also survived by his grandchildren, Julian Coyle, and wife, Vena, Jeff Crawford, and wife, Terri, Alan Crawford, Denise Crawford; 13 great-grandchildren; and 11 great-great-grandchildren living all over the S.E. US; plus really numerous nieces and nephews that live all over the US and overseas.
The family requests donations be made in George's name, in lieu of flowers, to one of George's chosen chari-ties:
?Fisher House, 390 Boatner Drive, Eglin AFB, FL 32563, 1-850-883-2865
?Pet Welfare (No Kill Shelter), P.O. Box 1914, Eglin AFB, FL 32563, 1-850-678-5066
?Meals On Wheels of Okaloosa County, Florida, 137 Hospital Drive, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548, 1-850-833-7500
?Sarcoma Foundation of America, 9899 Main Street, Suite 204, Damascus, MD 20872, [email protected]
Visitation and service will be Feb. 25, with visitation from 1 to 2 p.m. followed by a short service in the chapel at Heritage Gardens Funeral Home, Highway 285, Niceville, Florida. Interment with military honors will follow in Heritage Gardens Cemetery.
You may go online to offer condolences to the family and sign the guestbook at www.heritagegardensfuneralhome.com. Heritage Gardens Funeral Home of Niceville is entrusted with the ar-rangements.
Published Online in Northwest Florida Daily News from Feb 23-24, 2016
George was born in Pensacola, Florida, on Mar. 13, 1928, and spent his early childhood in that area. He later at-tended Murphy High School in Mobile, Alabama, prior to joining the Merchant Marines in May 1945. While in the Merchant Marines he traveled from Mobile to the Persian Gulf and back again with stops all over the Pacific.
On Mar 13, 1946, he joined the Army Air Corp. He attended Basic Training at Lockland Air Force Base, Texas, and was sent to Boca Raton Air Field, Florida, for Radar/Electronics tech school.
While attending tech school at Boca Raton Air Field, he met and married the love and passion of his life, Sybil Smith, at the USO in Delray Beach, Florida, in April 1946. They didn't start dating till the following year, on Jan. 28, 1947. They were married there on April 10, 1947, and have remained happily married for almost 69 years. When the Air Force became a separate military service in June of 1947, he became an Airman and proudly served in the Air Force for 28 years, working as a radar electronics specialist/trainer until his retirement in March 1973, as a senior master sergeant.
George had an exceptional career. He enlisted right after the birth of radar, and helped to grow it and establish it into the life saving gift that it is now. In Germany after the war, he flew with the teams that were the precursor to the U2 flights along the Russian border. The things he did in Vietnam were so secret that, to this day, no one talks about them. Actually there were so many that they're just too numerous to mention. What George would have said though was that it was always him and a team of many fine men and women that got the job done. He never took credit for all of anything.
After his retirement from the Air Force he tried his hand at several different occupations, initially working at the Coca-Cola plant in Valparaiso as an accounts clerk; and then at Harris Manufacturing in Fort Walton for 10 years with Flow Souder Machine; and finally for American Security, before beginning his retirement in 2003.
George was preceded in death by his parents, Ben Floyd Crosby and Jessie Cason both of Weir County, Geor-gia; his brothers, (chief master sergeant, retired) O. Leo Crosby and (lieutenant colonel, retired) John M. Crosby; and his sisters, (licensed vocational nurse, retired) Sadie M. Goodwin and (GS12, retired) Doris K. Witchen.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Sybil Crosby; daughter, Julia (Crosby) Crawford, and her husband, Gary; his son, George Crosby Jr.;
He is also survived by his grandchildren, Julian Coyle, and wife, Vena, Jeff Crawford, and wife, Terri, Alan Crawford, Denise Crawford; 13 great-grandchildren; and 11 great-great-grandchildren living all over the S.E. US; plus really numerous nieces and nephews that live all over the US and overseas.
The family requests donations be made in George's name, in lieu of flowers, to one of George's chosen chari-ties:
?Fisher House, 390 Boatner Drive, Eglin AFB, FL 32563, 1-850-883-2865
?Pet Welfare (No Kill Shelter), P.O. Box 1914, Eglin AFB, FL 32563, 1-850-678-5066
?Meals On Wheels of Okaloosa County, Florida, 137 Hospital Drive, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548, 1-850-833-7500
?Sarcoma Foundation of America, 9899 Main Street, Suite 204, Damascus, MD 20872, [email protected]
Visitation and service will be Feb. 25, with visitation from 1 to 2 p.m. followed by a short service in the chapel at Heritage Gardens Funeral Home, Highway 285, Niceville, Florida. Interment with military honors will follow in Heritage Gardens Cemetery.
You may go online to offer condolences to the family and sign the guestbook at www.heritagegardensfuneralhome.com. Heritage Gardens Funeral Home of Niceville is entrusted with the ar-rangements.
Published Online in Northwest Florida Daily News from Feb 23-24, 2016
George Crosby Sr. went home to be with the Lord on Feb. 19, 2016, after an extended illness of many years.
George was born in Pensacola, Florida, on Mar. 13, 1928, and spent his early childhood in that area. He later at-tended Murphy High School in Mobile, Alabama, prior to joining the Merchant Marines in May 1945. While in the Merchant Marines he traveled from Mobile to the Persian Gulf and back again with stops all over the Pacific.
On Mar 13, 1946, he joined the Army Air Corp. He attended Basic Training at Lockland Air Force Base, Texas, and was sent to Boca Raton Air Field, Florida, for Radar/Electronics tech school.
While attending tech school at Boca Raton Air Field, he met and married the love and passion of his life, Sybil Smith, at the USO in Delray Beach, Florida, in April 1946. They didn't start dating till the following year, on Jan. 28, 1947. They were married there on April 10, 1947, and have remained happily married for almost 69 years. When the Air Force became a separate military service in June of 1947, he became an Airman and proudly served in the Air Force for 28 years, working as a radar electronics specialist/trainer until his retirement in March 1973, as a senior master sergeant.
George had an exceptional career. He enlisted right after the birth of radar, and helped to grow it and establish it into the life saving gift that it is now. In Germany after the war, he flew with the teams that were the precursor to the U2 flights along the Russian border. The things he did in Vietnam were so secret that, to this day, no one talks about them. Actually there were so many that they're just too numerous to mention. What George would have said though was that it was always him and a team of many fine men and women that got the job done. He never took credit for all of anything.
After his retirement from the Air Force he tried his hand at several different occupations, initially working at the Coca-Cola plant in Valparaiso as an accounts clerk; and then at Harris Manufacturing in Fort Walton for 10 years with Flow Souder Machine; and finally for American Security, before beginning his retirement in 2003.
George was preceded in death by his parents, Ben Floyd Crosby and Jessie Cason both of Weir County, Geor-gia; his brothers, (chief master sergeant, retired) O. Leo Crosby and (lieutenant colonel, retired) John M. Crosby; and his sisters, (licensed vocational nurse, retired) Sadie M. Goodwin and (GS12, retired) Doris K. Witchen.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Sybil Crosby; daughter, Julia (Crosby) Crawford, and her husband, Gary; his son, George Crosby Jr.;
He is also survived by his grandchildren, Julian Coyle, and wife, Vena, Jeff Crawford, and wife, Terri, Alan Crawford, Denise Crawford; 13 great-grandchildren; and 11 great-great-grandchildren living all over the S.E. US; plus really numerous nieces and nephews that live all over the US and overseas.
The family requests donations be made in George's name, in lieu of flowers, to one of George's chosen chari-ties:
?Fisher House, 390 Boatner Drive, Eglin AFB, FL 32563, 1-850-883-2865
?Pet Welfare (No Kill Shelter), P.O. Box 1914, Eglin AFB, FL 32563, 1-850-678-5066
?Meals On Wheels of Okaloosa County, Florida, 137 Hospital Drive, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548, 1-850-833-7500
?Sarcoma Foundation of America, 9899 Main Street, Suite 204, Damascus, MD 20872, [email protected]
Visitation and service will be Feb. 25, with visitation from 1 to 2 p.m. followed by a short service in the chapel at Heritage Gardens Funeral Home, Highway 285, Niceville, Florida. Interment with military honors will follow in Heritage Gardens Cemetery.
You may go online to offer condolences to the family and sign the guestbook at www.heritagegardensfuneralhome.com. Heritage Gardens Funeral Home of Niceville is entrusted with the ar-rangements.
Published Online in Northwest Florida Daily News from Feb 23-24, 2016
George was born in Pensacola, Florida, on Mar. 13, 1928, and spent his early childhood in that area. He later at-tended Murphy High School in Mobile, Alabama, prior to joining the Merchant Marines in May 1945. While in the Merchant Marines he traveled from Mobile to the Persian Gulf and back again with stops all over the Pacific.
On Mar 13, 1946, he joined the Army Air Corp. He attended Basic Training at Lockland Air Force Base, Texas, and was sent to Boca Raton Air Field, Florida, for Radar/Electronics tech school.
While attending tech school at Boca Raton Air Field, he met and married the love and passion of his life, Sybil Smith, at the USO in Delray Beach, Florida, in April 1946. They didn't start dating till the following year, on Jan. 28, 1947. They were married there on April 10, 1947, and have remained happily married for almost 69 years. When the Air Force became a separate military service in June of 1947, he became an Airman and proudly served in the Air Force for 28 years, working as a radar electronics specialist/trainer until his retirement in March 1973, as a senior master sergeant.
George had an exceptional career. He enlisted right after the birth of radar, and helped to grow it and establish it into the life saving gift that it is now. In Germany after the war, he flew with the teams that were the precursor to the U2 flights along the Russian border. The things he did in Vietnam were so secret that, to this day, no one talks about them. Actually there were so many that they're just too numerous to mention. What George would have said though was that it was always him and a team of many fine men and women that got the job done. He never took credit for all of anything.
After his retirement from the Air Force he tried his hand at several different occupations, initially working at the Coca-Cola plant in Valparaiso as an accounts clerk; and then at Harris Manufacturing in Fort Walton for 10 years with Flow Souder Machine; and finally for American Security, before beginning his retirement in 2003.
George was preceded in death by his parents, Ben Floyd Crosby and Jessie Cason both of Weir County, Geor-gia; his brothers, (chief master sergeant, retired) O. Leo Crosby and (lieutenant colonel, retired) John M. Crosby; and his sisters, (licensed vocational nurse, retired) Sadie M. Goodwin and (GS12, retired) Doris K. Witchen.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Sybil Crosby; daughter, Julia (Crosby) Crawford, and her husband, Gary; his son, George Crosby Jr.;
He is also survived by his grandchildren, Julian Coyle, and wife, Vena, Jeff Crawford, and wife, Terri, Alan Crawford, Denise Crawford; 13 great-grandchildren; and 11 great-great-grandchildren living all over the S.E. US; plus really numerous nieces and nephews that live all over the US and overseas.
The family requests donations be made in George's name, in lieu of flowers, to one of George's chosen chari-ties:
?Fisher House, 390 Boatner Drive, Eglin AFB, FL 32563, 1-850-883-2865
?Pet Welfare (No Kill Shelter), P.O. Box 1914, Eglin AFB, FL 32563, 1-850-678-5066
?Meals On Wheels of Okaloosa County, Florida, 137 Hospital Drive, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548, 1-850-833-7500
?Sarcoma Foundation of America, 9899 Main Street, Suite 204, Damascus, MD 20872, [email protected]
Visitation and service will be Feb. 25, with visitation from 1 to 2 p.m. followed by a short service in the chapel at Heritage Gardens Funeral Home, Highway 285, Niceville, Florida. Interment with military honors will follow in Heritage Gardens Cemetery.
You may go online to offer condolences to the family and sign the guestbook at www.heritagegardensfuneralhome.com. Heritage Gardens Funeral Home of Niceville is entrusted with the ar-rangements.
Published Online in Northwest Florida Daily News from Feb 23-24, 2016
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