Maj. Gen. Chris T. Anzalone USAF (Ret.)

June 20, 1955 - Sept. 27, 2015 Major General Chris T. Anzalone, USAF (Ret.), 60, of Huntsville passed away at his home on Sunday, September 27, 2015, following a short battle with cancer. A funeral Mass will be held at noon on Saturday, Oct 3, at St John the Baptist Catholic Church, 1055 Hughes Rd, in Madison, Alabama. A showing will precede the service starting at 1045. General Anzalone served admirably for over three decades as an Air Force Officer. After assignment to the Pentagon during 9/11, General Anzalone worked under the Joint Chiefs of Staff while planning for contingency operations supporting the Global War on Terror. Chris later served as Joint Planner for the Directorate for Operational Plans, Assistant Deputy Director of Political-Military Affairs for the Western Hemisphere, and Executive Officer to the Director for Strategic Plans and Policy. He was also the Vice Commander of the Air Armament Center at Eglin AFB, Florida, and at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Georgia. As his final assignment he served as the Deputy for Test, Integration, and Fielding of the Missile Defense Agency in Huntsville, Alabama. After his retirement in 2009, he served as President of L-3/ Coleman Aerospace and later as Chief Operating Officer of MEI Technologies, leading company operations and programs until his passing. Chris was known in the community as a true patriot and stood as a model of integrity, selflessness, and immense practical competency. His son Eric describes his father as 'the rock of our family' and it is with great sadness that the family acknowledges their loss. Described as a man of faith and courage, Chris had asked his wife to pray for him in the hours before his untimely passing. All of his children had either married or become engaged in the months preceding his death, and Chris expressed great joy in the hope that his children would be married to people who shared his same family values and Catholic faith. Mr. Anzalone is survived by his wife Renee, his daughter Christina Tharpe and her husband Sean, his son Eric, and his son Robert, who is serving in the United States Army. He is also survived by his mother, Gertrude Anzalone, and siblings Tom Anzalone and Theresa Protheroe, of Orlando, FL, and sister Cathie Huhn, of California. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the Chris Anzalone Memorial Scholarship Fund through Redstone Federal Credit Union. (Acct.#51009132904)