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Luther Freas Obituary

LUTHER WAYNE FREAS Lt. Col. Luther Wayne Freas Sr. USAF (Ret) formerly from Lompoc, CA and Leland, NC passed away at Cape Fear Hospice surrounded by his loved ones on Sunday, Sept. 20th 2015 at the age of 94. He's the son of Luther Wayne Freas and Elsie Freas. He is preceded in death by wife, Gema; sisters Janette Richards and Dorthy Myers. He is survived by son, L. Wayne Freas Jr. and wife Sally of Leland, NC and a daughter, Jackie Heupel and husband, James of Fredericksburg, TX. He has four grandchildren; Eric Heupel, Brian Freas, Jennifer Livingston (Tim), Jessica Kenny (Steve), and five great-grandchildren; Samantha Johnson, Morgan Freas, Hannah Freas, Johann Heupel, and Lexi Freas. Born in Debois, Pennsylvania on June 14, 1921, Luther Wayne Freas Sr. started playing the piano at age 3, converting to the trumpet around age 10. He continued with music in high school, eventually becoming an All-State Champion trumpet player. During his high school days, he was an airport "junkie", loving everything about airplanes. He "bummed" rides as often as possible and wanted to become an Army Air Corps pilot, but his mother refused to give him permission to sign up. He used music to go to Mansfield State Teachers College in Pennsylvania. On December 7, 1942, after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, he signed up and attended Aviation Cadet School (ACS) in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Florida. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant pilot in the Army Air Corps in 1943. Lt. Freas was assigned to Courtland Army Air Field, Alabama, as a basic pilot instructor and squadron commander. While there, he met the love of his life, Genevieve (Gema) Baker of Florence, AL and married her. While at Courtland Field he trained, working with B-24s and B-29s. In May 1945, he ferried new B-29s from Harrington, Kansas to the 497 Bomb Group, 73rd Wing in the Pacific Theatre. From May until July, 1945, he flew twelve missions to and over eleven Japanese cities and provinces. The war ended and he chose to be discharged. He was hired by Robinson Airlines as a pilot, flying out of Ithaca, NY. Robinson later became US Air. He decided to rejoin the Air Force in 1946, with the rank of captain. In the fall of 1946, he volunteered for law school and found out that he was outranked by another volunteer and was given the option to receive training in several foreign languages. When he heard "Persian" was available, he said, "I'll do that one! I've heard of Persian rugs before!" He was assigned to the Army Language School in Montgomery, CA; followed by a year at Princeton University, learning the Persian language and culture. From 1949 to 1954 he worked with the US Foreign Services as an Assistant Air Attache in Tehran, Persia (Iran). In 1954, he was assigned to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio. He was later assigned to the KC-135 project office, which contracted for the production and delivery of the first Boeing 707 assigned to the Presidential staff. It was the first Air Force One and now sits at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. In 1956, he became the program director for the U-2 program and entered into the very secret "black world" with responsibilities for the National Security Council. He was part of a team to furnish the replacement for the U-2 airplane which ultimately developed into the SR-71 Blackbird. He retired from the Air Force in 1970 with 6,000 hours of pilot time. He was awarded the Legion of Merit from the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, and a Commendation from the Office of the Secretary of Defense for his long service in the reconnaissance world. He then went to work for McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Division (now Lockheed) for six years. During that time he became familiar with Vandenberg AFB because of his many trips to the base and to the Space Launch Center IV, helping to coordinate a number of launches. Upon retirement, he and his wife, Gema, purchased a home in the Vandenberg Village Country Club in the fall of 1976. Throughout his retirement, he worked with the Lompoc Literacy Council through the local library tutoring students in english and reading. On an additional note, Wayne's descendants were part the Pennsylvania Freas Clan who started the "Groundhog Day" celebration in Punxsutawney, PA in 1886. It is still celebrated there and throughout the nation today! Memorial contributions may be made to the made to the Alzheimer's Association, P.O. Box 9611 Washington, DC 20090-6011, Cape Fear Lower Cape Hospice 1414 Physicians Drive Wilmington, NC 28401, or Lompoc Literacy Council 501 E. North Ave Lompoc, CA 93436 Celebration of Life ceremony will be held 11 am Saturday, October 24, 2015 at Myrtle Grove Presbyterian Church, 800 Piner Road, Wilmington, NC. His urn will be buried at Greenlawn Memorial Park with Military Honors. Please share memories and condolences with the family at www.wilmingtoncares.com Wilmington Funeral & Cremation, 1535 S. 41st St., Wilmington, NC 28403 910.791.9099

Published by Wilmington Star-News from Sep. 22 to Sep. 27, 2015.
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