Nansemond-Halifax County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Pence, 1LT Lawrence N. Jr., 1948 

************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm
************************************************

Suffolk Girl's Husband Killed In B-29 Mishap 

8 OTHERS DIE IN PLANE BLAST 

  Lieutenant Lawrence Pence, husband of the former Barbara Ware, daughter of 
Mr. and Mrs. J.G. Ware of 207 South Broad Street, was among the nine killed 
yesterday when a B-29 Superfortress exploded over Waycross, Georgia. 

  The Pences were married in May, 1945, at Oxford Methodist church where his 
mother-in-law serves as organist.  The couple lived in Suffolk for a short 
while after the marriage.  Lt. and Mrs. Pence made their home at Chatham, 
Virginia, but Lt. Pence was on temporary duty at Warner Robbins Air Force Base 
in Georgia.  Ordinarily he was stationed at Eglin Field, Florida.  Mr. and 
Mrs. Ware and Mr. H.B. Cross, Jr., left Suffolk for Warner Robbins Field early 
this morning. 

  Two fires in one engine and failure of another engine preceded a thunder-
clap blast that ripped apart the B-29 superfortress, survivors said today. 

  The giant four-engine craft exploded at an altitude of nearly 30,000 feet. 
Fragments of bodies and plane were scattered over 20 acres of the farm of 
Robert Zachry, Jr.

      Terrific Roar Heard 

  Witnesses of the blast said "the whole town" heard a roar "like a terrific 
thunder clap" and stood frozen as bodies and parts of the plane hurtled 
downward. 

  Three of four who leaped to safety returned last night to the air force base 
at Warner Robins, Ga., and told a tragic story of the disaster and their 
escape.  They are Capt. H.W. Moore of Wilkinsburg, Pa., co-pilot; Tech. Sgt. 
E.W. Murhee of Miami, Fla., and Staff Sgt. W.J. Peny of Bayone, N.J. 

  The plane was on a special mission testing secret electronic equipment and 
was scheduled to land somewhere in Florida.  The other survivor, E.H. Melcher, 
is a civilian techician from Franklin Institute at Philadelphia, Pa. 

  Captain Harold R. Daniels, Public Relations officer at Warner Robins Field, 
said today the victims included five air force men and four civilian 
technicians. 

  The names of the victims were withheld until their families were notified. 

  Daniels said the cause of the explosion had not been determined. 

****************************************************************************** 

Military Funeral For Lieut. Pence 

  Funeral services for Lieut. Lawrence Neff Pence, Jr., who was killed in a 
B-29 airplane crash last Wednesday near Waycross, Georgia, were conducted 
yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock at the Oxford Methodist Church.  The Rev. 
C.T. Topping, pastor, officiated. 

  The Rev. Topping read the hymn "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go." 

  The casket was covered with an American flag, which was later replaced with 
a pall of Easter lilies, white carnations and red roses. 

  Pallbearers were Lieut. N.P. Artrip, Lieut. A.W. Seagrave, Lieut. C.P. Mass, 
Lieut. H.L. Arbo, Lieut. J.K. Huskey, Lieut. L.W. Sweet, all from Langley 
Field. 

  Burial took place in Cedar Hill Cemetery with military rites at the grave. 
A firing squad, under the command of Capt. D.L. Anderson, gave the salute. 
Corp. J.M. Montante, bugler, sounded taps. 


1LT Lawrence Neff "Leonard" PENCE, Jr., Army Air Force veteran of WW-II, 
b. 28 Apr 1922, Halifax Co., killed in B-29 crash 6 Oct 1948, near Waycross, GA, 
interred in Cedar Hill Cemetery (Block H, Lot 55*), Suffolk, 11 Oct 1948, 
"Suffolk (VA) News-Herald," Vol. 25, No. 157, Thurs., Oct. 7, 1948, p. 1; 
"Suffolk (VA) News-Herald," Vol. 25, No. 161, Tues., Oct. 12, 1948, p. 1 

*Cedar Hill list, an extension of the 
   Southampton County Historical Society {SCHS} Cemetery Project: 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/cemeteries/cedar_p.txt 

Find a Grave Mem. #136103612 includes a photo of his gravestone, contributed 
   by Steve Poole, and another contributed by Wiregrass Irisheyes, of a 
   granite & brass memorial memorial plaque, which describes the mission & 
   accident and lists the entire crew. 

His parents, Lawrence Neff "Dud" & Lelia D. (POWELL) PENCE, are buried in 
   Mount Jackson Cemetery, Mount Jackson, Shenandoah Co. 
   (Find a Grave Mem. #63902537 &c.) 

His widow 2m. James Vernon POWELL, Jr. 30 Dec 1950.  (Suffolk #131) 
   They are buried in Eastern Shore Chapel Cemetery, Virginia Beach. 
   (Find a Grave Mem. #86379333 &c.) 


Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by 
Mrs. Bruce Saunders (bs4403@verizon.net), 
and re-formatted by File Manager. 

file at: 
http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/obits/p520l1ob.txt