DARDANELLE - Ralph Gillham died February 18, 2010. He was born May 17, 1920, in Royal, Arkansas, to Herman and Edna McCaslin Gillham. He graduated from Hot Springs High School in 1938 and started work for F.C. Stearns Hardware Company in Hot Springs in 1940. He married his wife of 65 years, Martha Helen Ramseur, of Hot Springs, in 1940.
He entered the U.S. Army Air Corps cadets in 1942 and trained as a bombardier. He flew 30 missions in B-17s from England to Germany with the 535th Squadron, 381st Group out of Ridgewell, England. He won three Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross. (taken from Sentinel-Record obituary of February 20, 2010)
Ralph Gillham died February 18, 2010. He was born May 17, 1920 in Royal Arkansas to Herman and Edna McCaslin Gillham. He graduated from Hot Springs High School in 1938 and started work for EC. Steams Hardware Company in Hot Springs in 1940. He married his wife of 65 years, Martha Helen Ramseur of Hot Springs, in 1940.
He entered the US Army Air Corps cadets in 1942 and trained as a bombardier. He flew 30 missions in B-17's from England to Germany with the 535 Squadron, 381sf Group out of Ridgewell, England. He won three Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was commended for hitting targets at Hamburg, Germany and Tours La Riche, France while flying as group lead bombardier. He was lifelong friends with his pilot, Phillip Gnatzig, who once flew their B-17 from Berlin back to England with only two engines, the longest two engine flight in combat by a B-17 at that time. He later served as a bombardier instructor and finished the war as a B-25 pilot. He later owned his own plane and piloted up through the 1990's.
He returned to work with EC. Steams in 1945 and retired from them in 1985. He sold wholesale hardware throughout western Arkansas and had scores of friends in the hard ware business. He continued to work in the hardware business as a manger at Leonard's Hardware in Russellville until his death. On February 6, 2010 he had worked in the hardware business for 70 years. He was active in wildlife conservation and was a hunter of quail, ducks, pheasants and turkeys. He hunted every day of duck season up until 2001. He served as President and in several other offices for the Arkansas Wildlife Federation and the Yell County Wildlife Federation. He was one of the founding members of the Yell County Wildlife Federation and was still active until death. He had also served as the President of the Dardanelle School Board. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. He was appointed to the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, by the Governor Bumpers when the commission was first formed.
Pallbearers were Jim Wood, Jeff Henry, Eule Carr, Ralph Boen, Bill Payne, Bill Pfieffer, Jimmy Ellis, and Jim O'Neal. Honorary Pallbearers were Flip Cowger, A. B. Cox, J. R. Gray, Robert Apple, Bill Berry, Mark Graves, the Employees of Leonard's Hardware, Members of the Yell County Wildlife Federation, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #3141.
Memorial Service was Monday, at Cornwell Funeral Chapel. Graveside service was held at Greenwood Cemetery in Hot Springs. Memorials may be made to Dardanelle First United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 188, Dardanelle, AR 72834 or the Arkansas Wildlife Federation at 9108 Rodney Parham Rd, Suite 101, Little Rock, AR 72205. Arrangements by Cornwell Funeral Home, Dardanelle, Arkansas. (WWW.YellCountyObits.org, Yell County Record, Danville, Arkansas; Obituary was published on Wednesday, February 24, 2010)
[Survivors omitted per Find A Grave rules.]
He entered the U.S. Army Air Corps cadets in 1942 and trained as a bombardier. He flew 30 missions in B-17s from England to Germany with the 535th Squadron, 381st Group out of Ridgewell, England. He won three Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross. (taken from Sentinel-Record obituary of February 20, 2010)
Ralph Gillham died February 18, 2010. He was born May 17, 1920 in Royal Arkansas to Herman and Edna McCaslin Gillham. He graduated from Hot Springs High School in 1938 and started work for EC. Steams Hardware Company in Hot Springs in 1940. He married his wife of 65 years, Martha Helen Ramseur of Hot Springs, in 1940.
He entered the US Army Air Corps cadets in 1942 and trained as a bombardier. He flew 30 missions in B-17's from England to Germany with the 535 Squadron, 381sf Group out of Ridgewell, England. He won three Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was commended for hitting targets at Hamburg, Germany and Tours La Riche, France while flying as group lead bombardier. He was lifelong friends with his pilot, Phillip Gnatzig, who once flew their B-17 from Berlin back to England with only two engines, the longest two engine flight in combat by a B-17 at that time. He later served as a bombardier instructor and finished the war as a B-25 pilot. He later owned his own plane and piloted up through the 1990's.
He returned to work with EC. Steams in 1945 and retired from them in 1985. He sold wholesale hardware throughout western Arkansas and had scores of friends in the hard ware business. He continued to work in the hardware business as a manger at Leonard's Hardware in Russellville until his death. On February 6, 2010 he had worked in the hardware business for 70 years. He was active in wildlife conservation and was a hunter of quail, ducks, pheasants and turkeys. He hunted every day of duck season up until 2001. He served as President and in several other offices for the Arkansas Wildlife Federation and the Yell County Wildlife Federation. He was one of the founding members of the Yell County Wildlife Federation and was still active until death. He had also served as the President of the Dardanelle School Board. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. He was appointed to the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, by the Governor Bumpers when the commission was first formed.
Pallbearers were Jim Wood, Jeff Henry, Eule Carr, Ralph Boen, Bill Payne, Bill Pfieffer, Jimmy Ellis, and Jim O'Neal. Honorary Pallbearers were Flip Cowger, A. B. Cox, J. R. Gray, Robert Apple, Bill Berry, Mark Graves, the Employees of Leonard's Hardware, Members of the Yell County Wildlife Federation, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #3141.
Memorial Service was Monday, at Cornwell Funeral Chapel. Graveside service was held at Greenwood Cemetery in Hot Springs. Memorials may be made to Dardanelle First United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 188, Dardanelle, AR 72834 or the Arkansas Wildlife Federation at 9108 Rodney Parham Rd, Suite 101, Little Rock, AR 72205. Arrangements by Cornwell Funeral Home, Dardanelle, Arkansas. (WWW.YellCountyObits.org, Yell County Record, Danville, Arkansas; Obituary was published on Wednesday, February 24, 2010)
[Survivors omitted per Find A Grave rules.]
DARDANELLE - Ralph Gillham died February 18, 2010. He was born May 17, 1920, in Royal, Arkansas, to Herman and Edna McCaslin Gillham. He graduated from Hot Springs High School in 1938 and started work for F.C. Stearns Hardware Company in Hot Springs in 1940. He married his wife of 65 years, Martha Helen Ramseur, of Hot Springs, in 1940.
He entered the U.S. Army Air Corps cadets in 1942 and trained as a bombardier. He flew 30 missions in B-17s from England to Germany with the 535th Squadron, 381st Group out of Ridgewell, England. He won three Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross. (taken from Sentinel-Record obituary of February 20, 2010)
Ralph Gillham died February 18, 2010. He was born May 17, 1920 in Royal Arkansas to Herman and Edna McCaslin Gillham. He graduated from Hot Springs High School in 1938 and started work for EC. Steams Hardware Company in Hot Springs in 1940. He married his wife of 65 years, Martha Helen Ramseur of Hot Springs, in 1940.
He entered the US Army Air Corps cadets in 1942 and trained as a bombardier. He flew 30 missions in B-17's from England to Germany with the 535 Squadron, 381sf Group out of Ridgewell, England. He won three Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was commended for hitting targets at Hamburg, Germany and Tours La Riche, France while flying as group lead bombardier. He was lifelong friends with his pilot, Phillip Gnatzig, who once flew their B-17 from Berlin back to England with only two engines, the longest two engine flight in combat by a B-17 at that time. He later served as a bombardier instructor and finished the war as a B-25 pilot. He later owned his own plane and piloted up through the 1990's.
He returned to work with EC. Steams in 1945 and retired from them in 1985. He sold wholesale hardware throughout western Arkansas and had scores of friends in the hard ware business. He continued to work in the hardware business as a manger at Leonard's Hardware in Russellville until his death. On February 6, 2010 he had worked in the hardware business for 70 years. He was active in wildlife conservation and was a hunter of quail, ducks, pheasants and turkeys. He hunted every day of duck season up until 2001. He served as President and in several other offices for the Arkansas Wildlife Federation and the Yell County Wildlife Federation. He was one of the founding members of the Yell County Wildlife Federation and was still active until death. He had also served as the President of the Dardanelle School Board. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. He was appointed to the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, by the Governor Bumpers when the commission was first formed.
Pallbearers were Jim Wood, Jeff Henry, Eule Carr, Ralph Boen, Bill Payne, Bill Pfieffer, Jimmy Ellis, and Jim O'Neal. Honorary Pallbearers were Flip Cowger, A. B. Cox, J. R. Gray, Robert Apple, Bill Berry, Mark Graves, the Employees of Leonard's Hardware, Members of the Yell County Wildlife Federation, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #3141.
Memorial Service was Monday, at Cornwell Funeral Chapel. Graveside service was held at Greenwood Cemetery in Hot Springs. Memorials may be made to Dardanelle First United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 188, Dardanelle, AR 72834 or the Arkansas Wildlife Federation at 9108 Rodney Parham Rd, Suite 101, Little Rock, AR 72205. Arrangements by Cornwell Funeral Home, Dardanelle, Arkansas. (WWW.YellCountyObits.org, Yell County Record, Danville, Arkansas; Obituary was published on Wednesday, February 24, 2010)
[Survivors omitted per Find A Grave rules.]
He entered the U.S. Army Air Corps cadets in 1942 and trained as a bombardier. He flew 30 missions in B-17s from England to Germany with the 535th Squadron, 381st Group out of Ridgewell, England. He won three Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross. (taken from Sentinel-Record obituary of February 20, 2010)
Ralph Gillham died February 18, 2010. He was born May 17, 1920 in Royal Arkansas to Herman and Edna McCaslin Gillham. He graduated from Hot Springs High School in 1938 and started work for EC. Steams Hardware Company in Hot Springs in 1940. He married his wife of 65 years, Martha Helen Ramseur of Hot Springs, in 1940.
He entered the US Army Air Corps cadets in 1942 and trained as a bombardier. He flew 30 missions in B-17's from England to Germany with the 535 Squadron, 381sf Group out of Ridgewell, England. He won three Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was commended for hitting targets at Hamburg, Germany and Tours La Riche, France while flying as group lead bombardier. He was lifelong friends with his pilot, Phillip Gnatzig, who once flew their B-17 from Berlin back to England with only two engines, the longest two engine flight in combat by a B-17 at that time. He later served as a bombardier instructor and finished the war as a B-25 pilot. He later owned his own plane and piloted up through the 1990's.
He returned to work with EC. Steams in 1945 and retired from them in 1985. He sold wholesale hardware throughout western Arkansas and had scores of friends in the hard ware business. He continued to work in the hardware business as a manger at Leonard's Hardware in Russellville until his death. On February 6, 2010 he had worked in the hardware business for 70 years. He was active in wildlife conservation and was a hunter of quail, ducks, pheasants and turkeys. He hunted every day of duck season up until 2001. He served as President and in several other offices for the Arkansas Wildlife Federation and the Yell County Wildlife Federation. He was one of the founding members of the Yell County Wildlife Federation and was still active until death. He had also served as the President of the Dardanelle School Board. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. He was appointed to the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, by the Governor Bumpers when the commission was first formed.
Pallbearers were Jim Wood, Jeff Henry, Eule Carr, Ralph Boen, Bill Payne, Bill Pfieffer, Jimmy Ellis, and Jim O'Neal. Honorary Pallbearers were Flip Cowger, A. B. Cox, J. R. Gray, Robert Apple, Bill Berry, Mark Graves, the Employees of Leonard's Hardware, Members of the Yell County Wildlife Federation, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #3141.
Memorial Service was Monday, at Cornwell Funeral Chapel. Graveside service was held at Greenwood Cemetery in Hot Springs. Memorials may be made to Dardanelle First United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 188, Dardanelle, AR 72834 or the Arkansas Wildlife Federation at 9108 Rodney Parham Rd, Suite 101, Little Rock, AR 72205. Arrangements by Cornwell Funeral Home, Dardanelle, Arkansas. (WWW.YellCountyObits.org, Yell County Record, Danville, Arkansas; Obituary was published on Wednesday, February 24, 2010)
[Survivors omitted per Find A Grave rules.]
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