Earl Edwin Hefner
Military
From Left to Right:
SSGT James B. Epperson
SSGT Robertson
SSGT Holland
SSGT Melvin S. Perry
SSGT Earl E. Hefner
Object Number - UPL 47571 - group of gunners with the 47th BG - 85th BS - 12th AF From Left to Right: SSGT James B. Epperson SSGT Robertson SSGT Holland SSGT Melvin S....
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Twelfth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Twelfth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Places
![Ground personnel of the 51st Fighter Group, 10th Air Force work on a P-47 Thunderbolt (serial number 42-29264). Handwritten caption on reverse: '51 FG, 316 FS, [illegible].'](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-457064.jpg.webp?itok=K4c3SuWM)
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Grosetto Main
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Perry Township, Allen Co., Ohio | 19 June 1923 | |
| Lima, OH | 30 June 1942 | Worked for Westinghouse, whom he would continue to work for after the war. | |
|
Died |
Lima, Ohio | 20 November 2016 | LIMA — The man who claimed he could fix anything but a glass eye and a broken heart, has died at the ripe old age of 93 from "too many birthdays." Earl E. Hefner was the son of Arthur and Elizabeth (Mowery) Hefner. Earl was born and raised on the family farm in Perry Township. He was a 1941 graduate of Shawnee High School and attended Ohio Northern University. In 1943, Earl entered the US Army Air Corp where he was crossed trained as a tail-gunner and an airplane mechanic on the A-26 attack bomber. He was sent to Italy where he flew 50 combat missions in the A-26 attack aircraft which carried two 500 pound bombs. His final ten missions originated from Corsica, France and were in support of General Patton's Fifth Army. Earl and his crew were ordered to reconfigure the A-26 to carry fuel to Patton and once completed these planes became known as "Flying Gas Cans." After the Army, Earl went to work for Westinghouse where he became a manufacturing engineer and developed several patents for Westinghouse. His job took him to Juarez, Mexico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Caracas, Venezuela and West Virginia where he met and married his wife of 67 years, Mary Louise (Pulice) Hefner. Although he truly loved his work at Westinghouse, he never lost his love of flying. Earl became a pilot and purchased and rebuilt a Cessna single-engine plane restoring it to flying status. He later built his own experimental aircraft, a Kelly-D bi-plane in his own backyard and was invited and performed a fly-by at Oshkosh, Wisconsin Air Show in 1992. As a life-long learner, he recycled an old rescue squad vehicle into a computerized Calliope with which he proudly opened many a holiday parade in Lima. He enjoyed cloning his tomato and pepper plants and growing his backyard garden from seeds. Earl's final years were spent closer to home, with countless hours sitting and swinging while watching his garden grow. Earl "lived" until he died, November 20, 2016. |
|
Buried |
Lima, Ohio | 23 November 2016 | Memorial Park Cemetery and Mausoleum Lima, Allen County, Ohio, USA |
