Thursday, January 28, 2010

MARY LEE FRANCIS

Mary Lee Francis, formerly of San Antonio, TX passed away January 24, 2010 in Tomball, TX. She was born on December 19, 1916 to George & Maude Rayburn in Fagus, MO. She was a beloved wife, mother and grandmother and will be dearly missed. She was preceded in death by her husband, Col. Robert L. Francis, USAF (ret.) of 59 years; daughter, Susan Rayburn Francis Strode & her husband, Hubert "Buck"; niece, Elizabeth Rayburn Windsor; Mrs. Francis is survived by her daughter, Janet Patricia Francis Murillo & her husband J. Ray Murillo; grandchildren, John Robert Jewett & his wife Donna and James Rayburn Jewett & his wife Kim; great grandchildren, Jennifer Jewett, Ian Jewett, Jamie Jewett and Alec Anguiano; sister, Billie Rayburn Windsor of Colorado Springs, CO; and niece, Margaret Windsor Vest of Shohamish, WA. Visitation will be 5-7p.m., Thursday, January 28, 2010 at Sunset Funeral Home. Graveside Service will be 1:15 p.m., Friday, January 29, 2010 at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery. Please visit www.sunsetmemorialparkandfuneralhome.com to sign the family on line guest book. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be to the Alzheimer's Association , 118 E. Hospital, Nacogdoches, TX 75961.

Janet Francis Murillo
janmur45@msn.com
453 Dos Lagos
Dripping Springs, TX 78620
(512) 858-4063

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

CMSGT James H. Lieberman, USAF, (Ret)



Visitation: Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010

SERVICE: Monday, Feb. 1, 2010

Funeral Home: Porter Loring Mortuary
Cemetery: Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery

CMSGT James H. Lieberman, USAF, (Ret), age 89, of San Antonio, born in Coblenz, Germany, died Monday, January 25, 2010. James retired from the USAF on August 1, 1966 after having served a period of 26 ½ years of active duty. He was employed by Frost National Bank on August 1, 1966 and retired from there July 31, 1985 of which 15 years was in the capacity of Purchasing Manager. He had numerous awards both military and civilian to include: Silver Beaver Award, Boy Scouts of America; and President Purchasing Management Association of San Antonio. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Frances M. Lieberman; son, John Joseph of Shreveport, LA; daughter, Jo Ann of San Antonio, TX. Visitation will be on Sunday, January 31, 2010 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Porter Loring.

John Lieberman '66
jlieberman37@comcast.net
520 Browning Street
Shreveport, LA 71106
(318) 393-9410

THOMAS L. COCHERES, COL. USAF retired

I kept thinking adding more bad news was unnecessary. Thomas L. Cocheres, Col, USAF retired passed away October 5, 2009 at age 90. Buried at Ft. Sam. Survived by wife, Jacquelyn and three children, three grandchildren. Thanks for all of the updates you give us.

Patrice Cocheres Ferguson
pferguson@fcpcpa.com
Class of 68



Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Jan. 1, 1919
Died Oct. 5, 2009 and resided in San Antonio, TX.
Service: Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009
Funeral Home: Porter Loring Mortuary
Cemetery: Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery

Colonel Thomas L. Cocheres, USAF (Ret.) passed away on Monday, October 5, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas.
He was born on New Year's Day 1919 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Greek immigrant parents, Louis Cocheres and Eleni Vlonidis.
He was former Chief of the Biomedical Sciences Corps, USAF and attended Greek and American schools, graduating from Allegheny High in 1937. During the Great Depression, he and his brothers helped support the family by selling newspapers on the streets in downtown Pittsburgh. After high school, he worked in a theater as an usher and assistant manager. He was drafted by the U.S. Army in 1942 and was sent to Keesler Field, Biloxi, MS for basic training. From there he was assigned to Atlantic City where the Army had just established a training center for medical personnel. Private Cocheres was assigned to the Medical Inspector as a clerk and later became a drill sergeant. He was selected to attend the Army Medical Field Service School at Carlisle Barracks, PA, and was commissioned a second lieutenant upon graduation. He then was selected to attend the Battalion Surgeons Assistants School at Camp Barkeley, TX, and later assigned to the Camp Butner, NC, Hospital Center for duty as Company Commander of companies C&D, 8th Battalion, and then Company B, 9th Battalion. He left the Army at the end of World War II and attended the University of Pittsburgh under the G.I. Bill. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology in 1948.
He was recalled to active duty in 1949 and assigned to the Department of Experimental Psychology at the School of Aviation Medicine, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. He conducted research and completed an experimental study entitled "Reading Devices Versus Free Reading" which was presented to Trinity University in partial fulfillment for the Degree of Master of Arts which he obtained in August 1951.
In 1949, he met and married the former Jacquelyn Cone, a native San Antonian. They were wed at Randolph AFB Chapel on November 26, 1949 and he and Jacquelyn began their life together with the Air Force. He continued working on research projects, including study of crew personnel at various Strategic Air Command bases. In 1951 he was assigned to the Far East when the Korean War broke out. Upon his return to the US he was assigned to the Air Research and Development Command in Baltimore, Maryland and later assignments included Luke AFB in Phoenix, AZ and Tachikawa AB in Tokyo, Japan. While at Tachikawa during the Vietnam War, he was deployed to Tak Li, Thailand with the Air Force's mobile hospitals. He returned to Randolph AFB to the Military Personnel Center and later to Sheppard AFB when the Biomedical Sciences Corps was established. He transferred to Washington, DC as Chief of the Biomedical Sciences Corps and received awards from national professional organizations and the military.
His professional honors include the Legion of Merit with Two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and was the military consultant to the USAF Surgeon General for Biomedical Sciences. He was most proud of his efforts on behalf of the Surgeon General to establish a "physician assistance" program that would train medical technicians to function independently but be supervised by physicians. This program was the early forerunner of the important national "PA" programs of today. Col. and Mrs. Cocheres retired from Washington, DC to Helotes, TX in 1978. Col. Cocheres was preceded in death by his mother and father; his sisters Bess Sicalias, Alexandra King, and Penelope Cocheres; and his brothers Stathis Kotsiris and Steven Cocheres. Col. Cocheres is survived by his loving wife of nearly 60 years, Jacquelyn; children Patrice L. Ferguson and husband John Camp of Houston; Sherry L. Wolf, MD and husband Daryl Wolf of Vernon, Texas; and T. Michael Cocheres and wife Gay Cocheres of Enid, Oklahoma. He is also survived by his three wonderful grandchildren who lovingly called him "Pappou": J. Alexander Camp, Trevor Louis Cocheres, and Ali Colleen Cocheres. Also surviving Col. Cocheres are his sister Betty Clayton and her children John and Dan and their children; his brother Gabriel Louis Cocheres and his wife Johanna and their children Louis Cocheres and wife Carol; and Lenny Nyman and husband Ben and their son Eric; sister-in-law Eleni Cocheres and her children Valerie, Barbara, and Paul and their spouses and children; sister-in-law Eleni Kotsiris and her children, son Lambros, daughters Bessie and Effie and their children; and devoted nephew Jim Sicalias. Col. Cocheres is also survived by many long-time friends and golfing and singing buddies. Pallbearers are son Michael; grandsons Alex and Trevor, and sons-in-law John and Daryl. Special thanks to Air Force Village Freedom House and their devoted caregivers. Father Danut Suciu will officiate. A brief Interment Service with Full Military Honors will follow in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery at 2:30 P.M. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Freedom House, Alzheimer Care and Research Center, 12455 Freedom Way, San Antonio, TX 78245.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

JAMES EVERETTE ENGLISH 1924 - 2009


Mr. James Everette English


October 16, 1924 - December 27, 2009

James Everette English, age 85, passed away on Sunday, December 27th at the Bill Nichols Veterans Home in Alexander City, Alabama. Born in Morven, Georgia, he was the youngest child of Rev. C.O. and Margie English. He entered the Army Air Corps in June of 1943 and retired from the United States Air Force in July of 1973. He served during two wars—World War II and Vietnam. After retiring from the Air Force, he worked in the Sears Automotive Department in Atlanta, GA for 14 years. He was married to Doris Anne McKoy English (also of Thomaston) for 63 years. In addition to his wife, he leaves behind three children: Terry Lee (Lucy) English and Laura (Charles) Huggins (who both live in Barnesville, GA), and Lynn (Robert) Sutton who lives in Wetumpka, AL. He is also survived by eight grandchildren: Julie English Hernandez, Paige English Zaragoza, Michael Reed English, Sara English, Tiffany Sutton Crittenden, and Noah, Christian and Daniel Huggins. He had seven great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Bill Nichols Veterans Home, 1784 Elkahatchee Rd., Alexander City, AL 35010 or the First Baptist Church in Thomaston.

Friday, January 01, 2010

Sgt. Loren Dodgion 12/21/2009

My dad, Sgt. Loren Dodgion, passed away on Dec. 21. He was stationed at Randolph from late 1958 until 1965 and again from 1968 until he retired in 1971 after 31 years' service.

Loren C. Dodgion

Published: January 6, 2010

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Services for Loren Cecil Dodgion, 92, of Colorado Springs, Colo., formerly of Belton, will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, at First Presbyterian Church in Belton.

Mr. Dodgion died Monday, Dec. 21, in Colorado Springs.

He was born Sept. 23, 1917, in Mosheim, Bosque County, to Dawson Earl and Eva Hotchkiss Dodgion. He married Irma Lee Whatley on Nov. 23, 1942, in Hamilton. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps and the U.S. Air Force for 31 years, retiring on Oct. 1, 1971. Awards and decorations include: American Theater Campaign Medal, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Distinguished Unit Citation, U.S. Army Good Conduct Medal with silver clasp and loop, U.S. Air Force Good Conduct Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, National Defense Service Medal with battle star, U.S. Air Force Commendation Medal and the U.S. Air Force Meritorious Service Medal. He was a member and elder of the First Presbyterian Church in Belton.

Survivors include his wife; two sons, Earl Dodgion of South Fork, Colo., and Robert Loren Dodgion of Colorado Springs; a daughter, Linda Jean Dodgion of Temple; and four grandsons.

Shrine of Remembrance in Colorado Springs is in charge of arrangements.

Earl Dodgion
earldod@yahoo.com