Obituaries:  John L. Massingill, Sabine Parish       M-252
Source:  Sabine Index, Many, La., Jun 3, 1998
Submitted by: Carl Dilbeck
              carlrad@earthlink.net




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Lt. Col. (Ret.) John L. Massingill

  Lt. Col. (Ret.) John L. Massingill, 68, died Tuesday, May 26, in
a Tyler hospital. He was born May 13, 1930, in Dublin, to Clifton
and Pearl Watkins Massingill, and grew up in Many. He had been a
resident of Troup since 1972.

  Funeral services were held at 4 p.m., Thursday, May 28, at the
First United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Jon Stouffer, the
Rev. George Helton, and the Rev. Carl Bilderback officiating.
Burial followed at Pinecrest Cemetery, with Masonic Graveside
Rites, and full military honors.

  Lt. Col. Massingill graduated from Riverside Military Academy in
Gainesville, Ga., and attended Northwestern State University in
Natchitoches, and Kilgore Junior College. He retired after 25
yeas active duty in the military, serving three years in the U.S.
Army, and 22 years in the U.S. Air Force. He served in both the
Korean and Vietnam wars. At one time, Lieutenant Colonel
Massingill was the youngest B-52 instructor pilot in the Air
Force. At the time of his retirement, he had earned a 1,000 hour
flying pin for the B-47 bomber, and two 2,000 hour flying pins
for the B-52 bomber, a feat only accomplished by two other men.
He had also logged more flying time as an instructor in a B-52
than any other man in the Air Force.

  After his military retirement, Lt. Col. Massingill was employed
by Pool International Oil Company in Libya, as a field camp
supervisor, and camp medic. He also worked as a job
superintendent on commercial construction jobs, was a sales
representative for a paint manufacturer, and was a certified
policeman, fireman, and licensed arson investigator.

  Lt. Col. Massingill served as Fire Marshal for the city of
Troup, and was formerly employed by the Gregg County Airport,
where he was involved in fire, crash rescue, and police duties.
He was a member of the Troup Volunteer Fire Department, the Troup
Rotary Club, where he was a past president, and Troup Cares.
Presently, he was also serving as a president of the 90th
Strategic Reconnaissance Wing Association.

  He was a member of the Northeast Texas Arson Investigators
Association, the Emergency Management Institute, the State of
Texas Emergency Medical Technicians, and the Texas Firemen and
Fire Marshals Association.

  His wife raised Champion English Bulldogs. He married Essie
Gabbert, Dec. 27, 1952, in Many.

  He was a Mason, and was also a member of the Sharon Shrine
Temple, Tyler, and was also a member of the First United
Methodist Church, Troup, Texas.

  Survivors include his widow of 45 years, Essie Massingill of
Troup, Texas; one son and daughter-in-law, Cliff and Geneva
Massingill of Kilgore; one daughter and son-in-law, Jan and Tim
Shaw of Troup, Texas; his mother, Pearl Massingill of Many; five
grandchildren, Jonathan Massingill, Samantha Massingill, Kimberly
Shaw, Barbie Shaw, and Kenneth Shaw.

  Pallbearers were Jim Carlyle, Vernon Chesshir, Hal Snyder,
Gerald Sadler, Billy Slaughter, Don Shaw, Bob Dennis, and Bill
Mowery. Honorary pallbearers were Jerry Eastman, and members of
the Troup Rotary Club, and the Troup Volunteer Fire Department.

  Memorials, if desired, may be made to the Cameron J. Jarvis
Troup Municipal Library.

  Cottle Funeral Home, Troup, Texas.