Louis Lafayette "Billie" Haltom

Louis Lafayette "Billie" Haltom, 87, a retired United States Air Force lieutenant colonel, died March 13, 2007, while visiting family in Beaumont, Texas. Col. Haltom, who lived in Alexandria, Virginia, was born June 14, 1919, in Nacogdoches County to Henry Grady and Callie Spinks Haltom. He grew up in Melrose, Texas, and graduated from the Stephen F. Austin Demonstration High School in Nacogdoches. Following graduation he attended Stephen F. Austin College prior to serving in the Air Force during World War II. His Air Force service spanned a twenty-year period and his military decorations included the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters and the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters. After retiring from active military duty in 1960, he worked in the oil industry in Wichita, Kansas, before returning to government service with USAID as the director of aid for the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. In this role, he was responsible for programs that built schools and roads serving the people of the region. He later worked for the United States Postal Service and for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in the Department of the Treasury. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by sisters, Louise Haltom and Zenie Williams. He is survived by his sister, Sue Jean Dunn; and his niece, Betty Dunaway; and nephews, Ronnie Williams, Kevin Dunn and Kyle Dunn. Services will be held in Nacogdoches at 2 p.m. Friday, March 16, 2007, at Laird Funeral Home with visitation beginning at 11 a.m. Col. Haltom will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Melrose Cemetery Fund or the American Heart Foundation. Laird Funeral Home.