Allen Eugene Maerk Lt. Col., Ret.

A celebration of life for Allen Eugene Maerk will be 10 a.m. Saturday, April 29, 2006, at Welch Funeral Home Chapel, 4619 Judson Road. Burial, with full military honors, will follow in Gladewater Memorial Gardens. Allen passed away 3 a.m. Tuesday, April 25, 2006, at Good Shepherd Medical Center. Allen was born January 30, 1919, in Salt Creek, Wyoming, and was raised on a farm in Bledsoe, Texas. While plowing, Allen would see the airplanes fly over and say to himself, "That is what I want to do someday." He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in December of 1940 at Lubbock, Texas. A short time later, he applied for and was accepted for enlisted pilot training. Upon graduation, he received his pilot's wings and was issued staff sergeant stripes. He flew AT-11s, B-18s, B-34s and four engine B-24s, B-29s, C-47s, C-54s and the C-124. He made captain on December 17, 1949, and was then promoted to major. He served during World War II, Korea, and the Vietnam wars. Allen flew to almost every country in the world, even in and out of Saigon during the Vietnam War. While stationed in Hawaii, he attained his master's degree from Jackson College. From Hawaii, he went to Hill Air Force Base in Utah. He retired from the service on January 31, 1966, as lieutenant colonel. Allen is survived by his wife of more than 63 years, Nadine Wilcox Maerk; daughters, Barbara and husband, Roland, Norris of Cocoa Beach, Florida; Diann and husband, Bruce, Williamson of Enola, Pennsylvania, and Judith Pace of Marshall, Texas; five grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchil- dren. Memorials may be made to the American Lung Association or Mobberly Baptist Church. The family will receive friends 6-8 p.m. Friday evening, April 28, 2006, at Welch Funeral Home. An online registry may be signed at www.news-journal.com, by clicking on the obituaries link.