Paulding County GaArchives Obituaries.....Ragsdale, Herbert March 27, 2005 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Patricia Compton comptonp13@hotmail.com July 2, 2006, 11:51 am The Dallas New Era, Dallas, Georgia, Thursday, April 7, 2005 Herbert Ragsdale Passes March 27th Herbert Ragsdale, age 79, of Dallas, Georgia passed away at his home on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2005. Herbert affectionately known as “Snote” was born April 1, 1925 in Dallas, Georgia on Leonard Hill. Son of the late Dr. Carl Ragsdale and the late Bessie Kennedy Ragsdale. Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Mrs. Charlotte Lester Ragsdale of Dallas; 3 daughters, Dr. & Mrs. John (Leigh) Elliott of Marietta, Mr. & Mrs. Jerry (Denise) Rutledge of Dallas, and Mr. & Mrs. Ken (Dana) Strack of Dallas; 7 grandchildren, Dena Elliott Baltimore of Washington, D.C., Laura Elliott Stevens of Dahlonega, David Elliott of Marietta, Amber Rutledge Dodd of Dallas, Amy Rutledge Davenport of Dallas, Ansley Rutledge of Dallas, Tim Robinson of Atlanta; 4 great-grandchildren, Alex Dodd, Meredith Dodd, Will Davenport, Madelyn Davenport; brother John Warner (J.W.) Ragsdale of Decatur, many nieces and nephews. Funeral services (A Celebration of the Life of Mr. Herbert Ragsdale) were conducted on Tuesday, March 29, 2005 at 3:00 p.m. from the Chapel of Jeff Eberhart Funeral Home with Eulogy by Brother Loren Wills, Dr. Greg Potts officiating. Other speakers were FeFe Lollis, Melinda Graham, and Dr. John Elliott. Special music was rendered by the Faith Singers, Jeff Eberhart, and the congregation sang I’ll Fly Away on request by the family. Pianists were Becky Bearden and Charles Cole. Interment followed in the Dallas Cemetery. Pall Bearers were Tim Robinson, David Elliott, Ken Strack, Joe Dodd, Jason Stevens, Chris Davenport. Bag Pipes played music. Herbert Ragsdale had retired from Lockheed as an Experimental Research Mechanic. He was a World War II Veteran in the Army Air Corp, Ninth Tactical Air Force attached to the 366th Fighter Bomber Group. Missions included the D-Day invasion and throughout the push through Europe. Shortly after the Normandy invasion, the 366th earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for actions in the St. Lo breakthrough. Group aircraft on a fighter sweep behind enemy lines located and destroyed a tank column that Allied forces had not known about, preventing a surprise attack. To allow the deepest possible penetration into enemy territory, the squadron periodically moved to new bases as Allied armies gained ground. The unit operated from three separate bases in France, reaching Belgium by November 1944 and into Germany by April 1945. Along the way, they supported many major actions, including the Battle of the Bulge. After the Nazi surrender in May 1945, the squadron remained in Germany as part of the occupation forces. Herbert liked to say he was the first American soldier in Berlin, because he was the first one off the plane. He was proud of his service and very patriotic. Other than family, gardening was his passion. As a young man he was an avid hunter and had many fine bird dogs. He was a Paulding County history expert as well as a Native American and Civil War history bluff. He loved to make people laugh and is missed very much. Memorial contributions may be made to the Building Fund of the First Baptist Church of Dallas. 168 N. Johnston St., S-103, Dallas, Georgia 30132 or the Disabled American Veterans, DAV Memorial Program, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301 or call 1-877-426-2838 Ext. 3302 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/paulding/obits/r/ragsdale4626gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 4.0 Kb