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Life Legacy
VICKERS
La Verne D. Vickers was born February 24, 1917 at Broughton, IL. He passed away Wednesday, May 9, 2012 in the Health Care Center at AFV II. He finished high school in the depth of the depression and enlisted in the Air Corps in 1935. He advanced through the enlisted grades and became a Warrant Officer in 1942. Early in his service, he and another enlisted man developed what became known to all military pilots as Radio Facility Charts which enabled them to navigate by radio. Throughout World War II one or the other of these two men was in charge of producing these charts.
Vic graduated from flying school in June 1943 and after Transition Training, he was assigned as a B-24 transition instructor. But after a year he was called to take charge of the Radio Facility Charts. In June 1945 he was sent to Okinawa in the Eighth Air Force Service Command. After the war he became an Experimental Test Pilot at Wright Field where he met Louise Feuling, and they were married Sept 5, 1946. The next assignment was to Panama Flying C-54s supplying our Embassies in all South and Central American countries. On June 28 1948 his squadron was ordered to take all their planes to Germany, and they celebrated July 4th by flying all 12 of their planes for their first 24 hr. Day on the Berlin Airlift.
In January 1950 Vic was enrolled in the Air Command and Staff School which was followed by a staff assignment in Hq. Air University. In 1952, he was selected to attend an Advanced Management Course in the Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. This resulted in a four year assignment as Chief of the Dallas Air Procurement District.
After 22 years of service, Vic retired June 30, 1957 and spent the next 29 years at the Maytag Company with duties as Assistant to the CEO and President of the Maytag Company Foundation. He was active in several outside organizations including National Manufactures Association and as a Trustee of the Iowa College Foundation.
Vic retired from Maytag in 1977. He and Louise moved to Air Force Village II in 1988. After a long illness, Louise died February 25, 2006 bringing an end to a wonderful marriage of 59 years.
He is survived by three children, Lynne Vickers Knapp of Atlanta, Georgia, Tom Vickers of Forestville, CA, and Gail Vickers Froemming of San Antonio, TX; as well as four grandchildren; and two great granddaughters.
GRAVESIDE SERVICE
FRIDAY
JUNE 8, 2012
9:30 A.M.
FORT SAM HOUSTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
WITH FULL AIR FORCE HONORS
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Born: February 24, 1917
Place of Birth: Broughton, IL
Death: May 9, 2012
Place of Death: San Antonio, TX
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Memorial donations may be made to:
Air Force Village II Health Care Center, 5100 John D. Ryan Blvd, San Antonio, Texas 78245
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This memorial provided by:
Porter Loring Mortuary
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