Lt. Col. Elijah N. Bishop Retired

Huntsville, Texas – Lt. Col. Elijah N. Bishop, USAF, Retired, age 43, of Montgomery, TX, passed from this life on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, in a small plane accident with his son, Ethan.
Elijah was born February 18, 1980, to his parents Tammy Wilson Bishop and Chris Bishop. He obtained a Master's Degree in Political Science and a Master's Degree in Operational Science. He also had licenses and certifications such as Certified Flight Instructor, Airline Transport Pilot, Project Management Professional and Remote Pilot Certification.
Elijah served in the United States Air Force from the age of 18 until 41. He began his military career working in security forces and then worked as an OSI agent (Office of Special Investigations for the Air Force). Next, he went through Officer Training School and thereafter went through training and became a Weapons Systems Officer in the F-15 E Strike Eagle. Then he went through pilot training and became a pilot in the C-130 J. He flew many missions in both aircraft, including two trips to Afghanistan. During his time as a C-130 J pilot, he commanded the 75th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron in Djibouti Africa. Additionally, he was selected, and served, as an Air Force One Advance Agent during the Trump administration. He later served as the Director of Strategy at the Air Mobility Command Headquarters, Scott AFB, Illinois. He ended his Air Force career as a T-6A Instructor Pilot.
After retiring from the Air Force in 2021, he worked for Textron Aviation as the Director of Aftermarket Sales and Strategy and an Experimental flight test pilot. In order to get back to his love of full-time flying, he left Textron and went to Koch Industries, working as a Corporate Pilot. Later, when the opportunity arose, he took a job as a First Officer with United Airlines.
Elijah loved spending all the time he possibly could with his family. His family was always, undoubtedly, the most important thing in his life. He also enjoyed spending time with his good friends.
He loved to fly. He wanted to be a pilot from a very young age and he was an exceptionally good pilot, it came naturally to him. He enjoyed golfing and fishing with his son, Ethan (and wife, daughter, son Alex when he could convince them to go).
Elijah was preceded in death by an uncle, James Bishop.
He is survived by his wife, Diana; son, Alex; daughter, Chloe; mom, Tammy Wilson Bishop; dad, Chris Bishop; mothers and fathers-in-law, Ken and Peggy Delaney; Bob and Luise Sommers; uncle, Mark Wilson; aunt, Robin Wilson; cousins, Tyler and Emily Wilson; grandparents, Harvey and Peggy Wilson, L.N. and Rose Bishop; uncles Chucky Bishop, Jeffrey Bishop, Billy Bishop and a multitude of other cousins.
Visitation will be held Monday, September 18, 2023, from 11:00am until 2:00pm at Central Funeral Home in Manchester, TN. Funeral services will be conducted immediately following visitation at 2:00pm in the chapel of Central Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Rose Hill Memorial Gardens in Tullahoma, TN.
Central Funeral Home is honored to serve the Bishop family, 931-723-7774, centralfuneralhome.com
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