William Paul Hess Sr.'s Obituary
William Paul Hess was born on November 30, 1920 and passed on August 21, 2010 to be with the Lord. He was married February 3rd, 1951 and was preceded in death by his wife Marilyn T. Hess on July 24th, 1994. Bill is survived by his sister Holly Hess Yingling; children Paul, Gale, and Tison; and grandchildren Clarion, Harrison, Amber, Courtney, and Gabriel. A graduate of Olathe, KS, High School in 1938, Bill went to San Diego in 1939 to work at Consolidated Aircraft. He served in the Army Air Corps from 1942-1947, Class of 43-I at Luke Field, AZ. Bill flew P-38’s and P-51’s in the 8th Air Force on 72 missions including the D-Day Invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. Bill was awarded the ETO Ribbon with five battle stars, the ATO Ribbon, the Air Medal with Four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Silver Star. Bill was credited with destroying four German aircraft in his next to last mission over Europe. Bill left the service with the rank of Major. Bill was an AF & AM Mason and an Al Bahr Shriner. In 1947, Bill started a crop dusting business in El Centro, CA, purchasing his first PT-17 Stearman for $615, eventually operating eight dusters and eight pilots. He sold his company in 1956 after flying for 17 years and accumulating 8000 hours, half of which were crop dusting. With a franchise from the Rocky Mountains to the East coast, Bill and his family moved to Dallas to set up a wholesale distribution with five retail stores in the Trophy & Award field. Bill retired in 1986, permitting Bill and Marilyn to restore and travel extensively in Model T Fords. Viewing will be at Restland Funeral Home, 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, on Tuesday, August 24th, 7:00-9:00 pm. Services will be Wednesday, August 25th, at 10:00 AM in Restland’s Wildwood Chapel. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Wounded Warriors, helping veterans come home.
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