Captain Robert L. Temme USN, Retired

TEMME Captain Robert L. Temme, USN, Retired, age 87, passed away on July 28, 2008 after a brief illness. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, he was an outstanding athlete, lettering in three sports while in high school and later playing third base on the University of Missouri's 1941 Big Eight Conference champion baseball team. He began taking flying lessons at the age of 16 and had completed the primary & secondary civilian pilot training courses by October 1941. Immediately after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, he volunteered for service as a Navy pilot. He had a distinguished Navy career, serving for 31 years. During World War II, he flew combat missions in the Pacific as a dive-bomber pilot aboard the carrier USS Bunker Hill. His squadron conducted strikes on Rabaul, Kwajalein, Truk, Saipan, and Tinian, and also supported the invasion of Tarawa. While diving on a Japanese cruiser at Truk, he was hit by anti-aircraft fire, was wounded, and had to make a water landing. He and his tail gunner were later rescued by a Navy destroyer. Later in the war, Captain Temme saw more combat as a fighter pilot, flying the F4U Corsair from the carrier USS Essex. His squadron covered the invasion of Okinawa and conducted strikes on airfields on the Japanese home islands of Kyushu, Honshu (Tokyo area), and Hokkaido. During those missions, Captain Temme shot down two Japanese Zeros and a reconnaissance plane. He was awarded the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, ten Air Medals, Meritorious Service Medal (1 star), Philippine Liberation Medal, two Presidential Unit Citations, and the Purple Heart. Following WWII, he served as a flight instructor at NAS Jacksonville. He later served as Commanding Officer of two carrier-based anti-submarine squadrons. His last command tour of duty was as Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Following his retirement from active duty in 1973, Captain Temme served for nine years as Chief Executive Officer of The Mental Health Clinic of Jacksonville and also served as President of the Board of Directors of the Central Crisis Center of Jacksonville. For many years, he was a member of The First Baptist Church of Orange Park, where he served as a church Deacon. He is survived by sons Robert L. Temme, Jr. and William H. Temme, daughter Susan T. Gallagher, son-in-law Stephen B. Gallagher, daughter-in-law Kay Jackson Temme, six grandchildren, and four great- grandchildren. He was an extraordinarily loving man, and his warm, caring, and gentle spirit will forever be missed by his entire family and by all who knew him. Funeral services in celebration of his life will be held at 11:00 AM Friday, August 1, 2008. Family and friends will gather to pay respects from 10:15 AM until the service. Interment will follow. Services and burial will be held at Jacksonville Memory Gardens Funeral Home and Cemetery, 111 Blanding Boulevard, Orange Park, FL. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, 4114 Sunbeam Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32257. Please Sign the Guestbook @ Jacksonville.com