Basil F. Hackleman

1921 - 2016

Basil F. Hackleman

Basil F. Hackleman, 94, of Springfield, passed away Friday, February 26, 2016 at 5:50 pm at The Gardens Assisted Living Facility in Springfield.

Basil was born May 17, 1921 in rural Chetopa, Kansas, to Floid and Nellie (Oliphant) Hackleman.

He was a 1940 graduate of Altamont Community High School in Altamont, Kansas and married Margaret Jean Maxwell at the Blytheville Army Air Base in Blytheville, Ark. on April 29, 1943.

Basil enlisted in the Army on December 13, 1940 and then subsequently transferred to the Army Air Corp completed flight training while earning the rank of Second Lieutenant and was sent to England as a B-17 Bomber Pilot with the 91st Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force where he completed 30 bombing missions over Germany during his tour and then returned to the States and was assigned to flight training of new flight crews being sent overseas. As the war ended Basil transferred to the United States Air Force Reserves and returned to civilian life as a TWA pilot flying DC-3 passenger planes from Kansas City to the West Coast. After a few years of that Basil went to work in the construction industry as a carpenter, carpenter foreman and project superintendent building many bridges, dams and roadway projects in the Midwest including the stretch of Interstate 44 from Kearney Street west to Halltown, Highway 245 Bridge north of Bona on Stockton Lake and the Kimberling City bridge.

During the late 1960's in order to settle in one place and not be continuously moving around Basil returned to his love of flying and became a charter flight pilot for Ozarks Skyways and later relocated to Springfield Flying Service at Downtown Airport from which he retired in 1982.

Also from 1945 until 1981 Basil continued to serve in the Air Force Reserves working up thru the ranks and finally attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and officially retired from service in May of 1981.

During his military career he earned the awards of Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters; Distinguished Flying Cross; Presidential Unit Citation, Issued to the 91st Bomb Group for Bombing Raid on Oscersleben, Germany, January 11, 1944.

Following his retirement from flying and the military Basil turned to his favorite hobbies of hunting, fishing and gardening. He also enjoyed traveling to the various parts of the US and visiting many of the national parks and resort regions of the country.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 65 years, Jean; a brother, Othol Hackleman; and a sister, Velma Tullis.

Basil is survived by a son, Jerry Hackleman and his wife, Phyllis of Springfield; two granddaughters, Amy Cochran and her husband, Shawn of Olathe, Ks, and Sara Bucher and her husband, Jason of Branson; and a great-grandson, Xander Cochran, also of Olathe, Ks.

Services will be at 11:30 a.m. Friday, March 4, 2016 in Gorman-Scharpf Brentwood Chapel, with a military chaplain officiating. Graveside services with full military honors will be at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Visitation will be from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 3, 2016 in the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers the family is requesting memorial contributions be made to the American Heart Association at donatenow.heart.org or the American Cancer Society, High Plains Division, 3322 S. Campbell, Suite G, Springfield, MO 65807-4980.