Kathleen McNally: 1924-2019
God's speed, and blue skies always, and bluebirds over, the white cliffs of Dover.
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We Remember and Honor AAFHA member
Kathleen McNally, the Matriarch of AAFHA! (Excerpts from article by Mike Urban from the Reading Eagle. ( see link below)) For over 25 years Kathleen along with the other AAFHA members, has traveled around the Tri-State area to educate others about World War II, a mission she believes is vitally important. Young people in particular need to learn about the war, she said. "Their fathers and grandfathers paid a terrible price for the freedom they've had," she said. "They have to know that price was a personal one." McNally was born in Great Britain and experienced WWII First Hand. The war came early to Great Britain, starting in 1939, and everyone had to pitch in, McNally said. Early on, she made sandwiches and drinks for the exhausted, blackened firemen working to extinguish the many fires started by German bombs in London's East End. At 19, she joined the Women's Land Army with a friend.The army assigned McNally to a farm. She'd never done farm work, but there were shortages of both food and farmers, and she soon found herself plowing fields and milking cows. From there McNally moved back to London, where she was was conscripted into the British Army and assigned to the Royal Engineers. She was trained to inspect watches made by the Swiss and smuggled into England for use by British and American troops. Though Switzerland was technically a neutral country in the war, it favored the Allies and its famous watches were important tools for the fighting men and women. In a suburban office, McNally checked the watches to make sure they were perfectly timed, waterproof and had glow-in-the-dark hands, qualities that were crucial to the troops. McNally woke each morning not knowing if she'd survive the day, since the German bombings were so destructive. "Everything they could throw out of the skies came down on us," she said. She often saw dogfights between British and German fighter planes, praying for the Royal Air Force to succeed, and then seeing the losing plane drop from the sky. She also saw many V-1 rockets flying slowly overhead, then stopping and falling, sending those below running for cover. Kathleen met and married USAF Captain William McNally, a communications Officer with the 355 Fighter Group, 357 Sq. They were married on January 23, 1946. They were supposed to be married a few days earlier but Lt. McNally was then based in Germany and couldn’t get to England. Captain McNally came back to the States from Germany in May, 1946. Kathleen arrived in Brooklyn New York on a "war brides ship" on July 10, 1946. The couple spent a few days in NY then went to Rhode Island where the Captain’s family lived. They later settled in New Jersey. 
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It is my sad and heartfelt duty to inform the AAFHA membership of the passing of Kathleen McNally yesterday night at approximately 10:00 pm.
Kathleen was a wonderful and gracious lady loved by all who knew her. She will be greatly missed. Please keep Heather and her family in your thoughts and prayers. Wayne Wayne G. Placek Commanding Officer Army Air Forces Historical Association This photo montage video is a tribute to Kathleen's dedication to AAFHA, from all who loved her and shared her friendship. A more warm and beautiful woman did not exist. Her charm, graciousness, wit and wisdom will be sorely missed. Song by Alyssa Martin. God's speed Kathleen, and blue skies always, and bluebirds over, the white cliffs of Dover. |
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A Tribute to our WWII Veteran AAFHA Members:
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Lt. Robert "Bob" Grenz, B-24, B-29 Bombardier! Trained as a Bombardier in a B-24
Served with the 20th Air Force, 19th Bomb Group, 28th Squadron on Okinawa Flew B-29 in Korea |
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The Incomparable Lt. Robert "Bob" Grenz, B-24, B-29 Bombardier! At McGuire AFB Open House, May 2016.
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Bob DeHaven: Staff Sgt. DeHaven was a nose turret gunner & toggelier on a B-24 with the 707th BG, 446th BS, 8th AAF stationed in Bungay, England.
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Obituaries: Blue Skies and God's Speed
A POEM FROM MSG CARLTON C. SPAIN, JR, US ARMY (RET.)
IN MEMORY OF HIS UNCLE CAPTAIN L. M. RUSSELL. 389TH FS,
366TH FG, 9TH AIR FORCE.
“LOST: 1 FEBRUARY 2002, CALGARY,ALBERTA CANADA.”
TODAY I LEARNED THAT MY HERO FELL
BUT THE OLD SONG SAYS
“THERE ARE NO FIGHTER PILOTS
DOWN IN HELL.”
SO FLY ON MY HERO
ON YOUR LAST MISSION STRAIGHT AND TRUE
FOR ALL THOSE SUCH AS YOU.
WITH HONOR AND RESPECT,
YOUR NEPHEW,
MSG CARLTON C. SPAIN, JR.
US ARMY (RET)
IN MEMORY OF HIS UNCLE CAPTAIN L. M. RUSSELL. 389TH FS,
366TH FG, 9TH AIR FORCE.
“LOST: 1 FEBRUARY 2002, CALGARY,ALBERTA CANADA.”
TODAY I LEARNED THAT MY HERO FELL
BUT THE OLD SONG SAYS
“THERE ARE NO FIGHTER PILOTS
DOWN IN HELL.”
SO FLY ON MY HERO
ON YOUR LAST MISSION STRAIGHT AND TRUE
FOR ALL THOSE SUCH AS YOU.
WITH HONOR AND RESPECT,
YOUR NEPHEW,
MSG CARLTON C. SPAIN, JR.
US ARMY (RET)
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Jack Widowsky Candy and toy salesman, WWII Army Air Corps veteran.
Jack Widowsky, 95, of Union, N.J., died on Thursday, March 22, 2018, at the Martin and Edith Stein Assisted Living, Franklin Township, N.J. Funeral services were held Sunday, March 25, at Mt. Sinai Memorial Chapels in East Brunswick, N.J. Burial followed in Beth Israel Cemetery, Woodbridge, N.J. Born and raised in Newark, N.J., Jack resided in Hillside, N.J., and Union, moving to Franklin Twp. a year ago. Prior to retiring in 2013, Jack was a salesman for candy and toy distributors for 70 years. He was a U.S. Army Air Forces veteran (1942 to 1946) and served as a navigator on the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb missions. He was predeceased by his brother, Harold Whitney. Surviving are his wife of 71 years, Florence (Wendroff) Widowsky; two daughters, Sherryl Kaufman and her husband, Michael, of East Brunswick, and Arlene Goldhammer of Newtown, Pa.; five grandchildren, Alex (Marci) Kaufman, Amanda (Nicholas) Fahey, Andrea Kaufman, Jordan (Claire Raab) Goldhammer and Brett (Evin Kozak) Goldhammer; and six great-grandchildren, Simone, Joel and Dean Goldhammer, Aaron and Casey Kaufman and Taylor Fahey. Memorial contributions may be made to the Historic Wendover Airfield, 1940 East 10980 South, Sandy, Utah 84082, Attention James S. Petersen. Published in Star-Ledger on Mar. 24, 2018 |
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Aurele R. “Van” Van De Weghe: 1922-February 25, 2018
It is my sad duty to inform you of the passing of A.R. “Van” Van De Weghe on Sunday, February 25th.
Van was along time veteran member of AAFHA whom we all learned much from as he told of his many experiences as a P-51 fighter pilot in the 1st Air Commando Group in Burma. Gen. Wayne Placek
Van was along time veteran member of AAFHA whom we all learned much from as he told of his many experiences as a P-51 fighter pilot in the 1st Air Commando Group in Burma. Gen. Wayne Placek
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Van returned to F&M after the war in 1945 to finish his studies for a B.S. in Chemistry. That summer in Green Pond, he met the love of his life, Gwendolyn (Lillis), and they were married in 1951. After a brief time working in his family’s fur business, Van-Dye, he found his calling, and for the remainder of his life he was an expert in industrial filtration equipment design and sales. For several decades, Van was a principal at Ember Products Co. Inc., in New Jersey, and subsequently served as a filtration expert for the New England Filter Company (NEFCO). He also founded Filter Info, a boutique consulting firm to which he was devoted until he retired at the age of 90. He had an exasperating persistence to grasp the use of his computer. Van was an avid sportsman; a hunter, fisherman, expert skier, as well as a competitive trap and skeet shooter. He was a resident of River Edge, and a parishioner at St. Peter the Apostle Church in River Edge for over 50 years. Van will be missed by countless friends and family members. He was so proud of his Belgian heritage, and was a true family man in every sense of the word. His father Charles, was the 17th of 18 children from Olsene, Belgium. Van was a beloved brother, doting husband, cherished father, grandfather and great grandfather. He is very recently predeceased by his loving wife Gwen after 65 wonderful years of marriage, his adored sister, Elaine V. Krause and her husband Robert S. Krause formerly of N.J. He is survived by 6 children; Scott, Todd, Cory, Lisa (Sargent), Alan, and Amy (Young), 14 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. |
Lt. Col. William Thomas Larkin: September 1920- December 25, 2008
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William Larkin, pilot
Tuesday, December 30, 2008 BY JAY LEVIN Hera!d News "I flew whatever they told me to fly," Fair Lawn's William T. Larkin once said, summing up an illustrious 30-year military career in the Army Air Forces and the Air Force. His combat resume included scores of B-24 bomber missions in the China-Burma-India Theater during World War II and B-52 bomber missions during the Vietnam War. Mr. Larkin, who also fought in the Korean War, died Christmas morning. He was 88. Until two years ago, Mr. Larkin - an inductee in the New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame - read the roll call of Fair Lawn war dead at the borough's Memorial Day ceremony. "Colonel Larkin was both an aviation legend and a man to admire because of his determination in the face of adversity," said aviation writer and historian Al Parisi of Wyckoff, also a copy editor for the Herald News and The Record . "He would say he was only doing his job," Parisi said, "but that job involved courage, stamina, leadership and ingenuity." On Oct. 14, 1943, Mr. Larkin was the first U.S. bomber pilot to shoot down aJapanese Zero, using a stationary machine gun that could be fired from the cockpit, according to the New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum. Asked about that incident, the matter-of-fact war hero said he was getting shot at and "I had the opportunity to shoot back." Mr. Larkin was raised in Wood-Ridge and graduated from East Rutherford High School in 1937. He began his military career before the Pearl Harbor invasion and met his wife, Margie, on a train in Kansas while he was stationed at Topeka Army Air Field. |
Mr. Larkin was raised in Wood-Ridge and graduated from East Rutherford High School in 1937. He began his military career before the Pearl Harbor invasion and met his wife, Margie, on a train in Kansas while he was stationed at Topeka Army Air Field. He sat down next to me," Margie Larkin said. "He always said he was attracted by my bright, red hat." The Larkins were separated for a total of two years during the lieutenant colonel's globetrotting Air Force career. He returned unscathed from every deployment.
In retirement, Mr. Larkin received a master's degree in history from Montclair State College (he earlier received a bachelor's degree in military science from the University of Maryland) and studied acting at Montclair's now-defunct Whole Theater. "Bill cut a dashing figure," said Apollo Dukakis, who was associate artistic director of the theater, which was founded by his sister, the actress Olympia Dukakis. "I remember he had a twinkle in his eye, and a good feeling about himself, and we had to work with him on the darker elements of the acting experience."
Mr. Larkin appeared in print and television ads that made the most of his distinctive, bushy eyebrows. "The barber always wanted to trim his eyebrows," his wife said, "but he'd say, 'Don't touch them! Leave them as they are.' "
An active member of the Army Air Forces Historical Association, Mr. Larkin participated in the group's Veterans Day and Memorial Day programs. He enjoyed telling of his war experiences and once said the most common question from audiences was, "Were you scared?" His standard reply: "Hell, yes."
Besides his wife of 66 years, Mr. Larkin is survived by daughters, Darby Colwell of Falls Church, Va., and Wendy Cummings of Fair Lawn; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. The visitation is today, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m., and the funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Vander Plaat Colonial Home in Fair Lawn. Interment will be in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
In retirement, Mr. Larkin received a master's degree in history from Montclair State College (he earlier received a bachelor's degree in military science from the University of Maryland) and studied acting at Montclair's now-defunct Whole Theater. "Bill cut a dashing figure," said Apollo Dukakis, who was associate artistic director of the theater, which was founded by his sister, the actress Olympia Dukakis. "I remember he had a twinkle in his eye, and a good feeling about himself, and we had to work with him on the darker elements of the acting experience."
Mr. Larkin appeared in print and television ads that made the most of his distinctive, bushy eyebrows. "The barber always wanted to trim his eyebrows," his wife said, "but he'd say, 'Don't touch them! Leave them as they are.' "
An active member of the Army Air Forces Historical Association, Mr. Larkin participated in the group's Veterans Day and Memorial Day programs. He enjoyed telling of his war experiences and once said the most common question from audiences was, "Were you scared?" His standard reply: "Hell, yes."
Besides his wife of 66 years, Mr. Larkin is survived by daughters, Darby Colwell of Falls Church, Va., and Wendy Cummings of Fair Lawn; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. The visitation is today, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m., and the funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Vander Plaat Colonial Home in Fair Lawn. Interment will be in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
John "Jack" F. O'Meara: December 23, 1924 - February 1, 2016
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John "Jack" F. O'Meara December 23, 1924 - February 1, 2016 O’Meara, John F. of Berkeley Heights, NJ, formerly of Hackensack and Bergenfield, NJ. Born: 1924 New York City to Catherine and Michael O’Meara. John was a highly decorated World War II combat veteran serving with the Army Air Force (Air Apaches). John flew fifty (50) combat missions in the Pacific Theatre, and was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor, two Air Medals, six Battle Stars, and the Philippine Liberation Medal. John was also a member of the Catholic War Veterans - Father Duffy Post, the 345th Bomb Group Association, and the Army Air Force Historical Association. " Jack" O'Meara, manning his post at the AAFHA Display at Greenwood Lake Airshow, 2009.
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Joseph Paul Celauro: January 09, 1922 - March 24, 2016
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Joe Celauro and Dorothea Koch at the Annual AAFHA Dinner, March 2016.
Joseph Paul Celauro January 09, 1922 - March 24, 2016
CELAURO, Joseph Paul, 94, on March 24, 2016, of Maywood, NJ. He was a retired United States Air Force Major, who served in World War II, as a P-47 Thunderbolt Fighter Pilot. He was the President of the P-47 Thunderbolt Pilots Association and an active member of the Maywood American Legion. After his military service, he used his Stevens engineering degree as a quality control inspector in the aviation industry. He was an active member of the Army Air Forces Historical Association. Son of the late Lina Campanella and Bernardo Celauro. Devoted father of Linda Celauro and Paul Celauro. He is survived by his beloved companion, Dorothea Koch (and her children Albert and Judith). Beloved grandfather of Peter Celauro, Alyson Celauro, Wendy Salkin, Kerry Salkin, and Natalie Celauro. Predeceased by his brother, Frank Celauro, and his sister, Ella Mastromonaco. |