HERBERT TOLLEFSON

Herbert Clifford Tollefson Died peacefully at his Parkland, WA home on February 28, 2017. He was 98 years old. He was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Eva C. Tollefson (Davis) and son Thomas Allen Tollefson. He graduated from Marysville High School and in 1941, joined the U.S. Army Air Corp. He served as an aircraft mechanic with the 26th Air Depot Group at the British Royal Air Force Base at Deversoir, Egypt, then Luqa Field, Malta and at an Air Depot in South Africa. He received the U.S. Army Air Corp Legion of Merit for outstanding military service during the Axis Siege of Malta in 1943. After the war he returned home, married and continued work as a civilian aircraft mechanic at McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma WA. In the 1960's, he became an Air Force Plant Representative for the Boeing Company in Seattle. There he worked on projects like the Minuteman Missile and the Lunar Rover. He retired in 1972. He was a volunteer for over 30 years at the McChord Air Museum where he and a dedicated crew restored a 1937 B-18 Bolo Medium Bomber which remains located on Heritage Hill at the base. He enjoyed square dancing, travel, farming and remained involved in aviation all his life. He is survived by two sisters, Alice and Claire, his four children, Susan (Gregg), Steve (Marg), Jeana (Rick) and Sandra (Stan), grandchildren Laurie, Chad, Katy and Jeff and a great granddaughter, Iris and dear friend Judy. A memorial service will be held at the Tahoma National Cemetery 18600 SE 240th St, Kent, WA 98042 at 1:00 PM Thursday, April 13, 2017. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Historic Flight Foundation 10719 Bernie Webber Drive, Mukilteo, WA 98275 https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/HistoricFlightFoundation/OnlineDonation.html or phone 425-438-3200.