John Henry Wendell Jr.

1935 - 2009

John Henry Wendell Jr., 73, formerly of Fort Worth, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend, transitioned peacefully Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, surrounded in love by his family.
Service: 3 p.m. Tuesday in the chapel at Robertson Mueller Harper. Following committal services, John will be laid to rest in Greenwood Memorial Park. Visitation: Mr. Wendell will lie in state on Monday in the Parlor at Robertson Mueller Harper; family and friends will be received in the Great Room from 2 to 4 p.m.
Memorials: Consideration of gifts, in John's memory, is suggested to Gilda's Club North Texas, 2710 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas, Texas, 75219.
John was born Dec. 24, 1935, in Shreveport, La., to John H. Wendell Sr. and Adeline Morell Wendell. He graduated from Neville High School in Monroe, La., before attending Louisiana Tech University, where he earned a bachelor of science in petroleum engineering in 1959.
He joined the United States Air Force in 1959 where he flew an array of jet aircraft, principally the F-100 Super Sabre and the F-105 Thunderchief. He flew 67 combat missions in an F-105D fighter bomber against targets in North Vietnam and other areas where hostile communist forces were operating. On the 67th combat mission, he led a complex strike force against a series of heavily defended targets north of Hanoi. A piece of shrapnel from a Soviet built SAM caused his aircraft to be enveloped in flames. His immediate capture was the prologue to a saga of 2,370 days of captivity by the North Vietnamese, where he survived stark conditions and unbridled cruelty. Ever the optimist, he viewed this period of his life as his single greatest learning experience, finding comfort in caring for his fellow prisoners of war.
After his return on March 4, 1973, John brought his engineering acumen and flying experience to bear on 20 major weapon design projects, including serving as project manager of the conventional cruise missile and the No. 2 man on the AMRAAM. For his exemplary service to his country, he received 19 major awards and decorations, most notably 2 Silver Stars, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, 2 Bronze Stars, 6 Air Medals, and 2 Purple Hearts. He retired from the Air Force in 1979 at the rank of lieutenant colonel.
He graduated with a master of business administration in finance and behavioral science from Southern Methodist University in 1975, where he met his wife, Bebe, and they married the same year. His work as a registered professional engineer involved acquisitions, finance, operations and evaluations of both conventional and unconventional oil and gas projects over the course of three decades. In recent years, as an entrepreneur, he was focused on improving the environment by transforming the negative externalities of natural gas production into a new source of purified water.
Survivors: In addition to his wife of 34 years, Margaret Ann "Bebe" Ware Wendell, John is survived by their children, Ware Victor Wendell and his wife, Robyn, Margaret Kathryn Wendell, Elizabeth Kathleen Wendell and Morton Edward Wendell and his husband, Jonathan Hubble; John's children, Kathryn Elise Wendell, Angela Christine Hayes and her husband, Donnie, and John H. Wendell and his wife, Nancy; brother, Jay Morell Wendell and his wife, Jean; and many loving nephews, nieces and grandchildren.