Col. Richard J. (Joe) Fellingham Sr., 89, USMC retired, of Seven Lakes West, died Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012, at his home, surrounded by his family.
Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, with the rosary being said at 7 p.m., at Boles Funeral Home, in Seven Lakes. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 19, at at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, in Pinehurst. Joe will be laid to final rest at the Seven Lakes Cemetery, with full military honors.
Joe was born in Hastings, Neb., in February 1923, to Catherine Kelly Fellingham and Richard Arthur Fellingham. He grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Joe enlisted at age 19 into the Marines in 1942 after finishing one year at Iowa State University, wanting to serve his country after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
He earned two degrees while serving his country, a B.S. in military science at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and an aeronautical engineering degree at the Navy Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. He married Frances Bierl in June 1948 in Plattsmouth, Neb., and raised three daughters and one son.
Serving 27 years as a Marine Corps fighter pilot, Joe was on active duty in World War II, the Korean War, and the buildup in Vietnam, retiring as a colonel in 1969. He then worked as an aeronautical engineer at Grumman Aerospace in Bethpage, N.Y., for 15 years.
Joe retired in May 1983 to Seven Lakes, where he took on several leadership roles in the fledgling community. He served as the first president of the Seven Lakes West Landowners Association for five years. Joe served on numerous committees throughout the years and was the first Wall of Honor designee for the Seven Lakes West Landowners Association. Joe was an avid golfer, tennis player and equestrian, and he established a golf group, tennis group and equestrian facilities at Seven Lakes West.
Joe is survived by his wife Fran; son Joe; daughters Linda and Kelly; grandsons John and Tom Joynt, Abe Mike and Noah Letter; granddaughters Heather and Heidi Frost and Katherine Wantzelius; and great-grandsons John and Toren Joynt.
The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 300 Dundee Road, Pinehurst, or FirstHealth Hospice, 150 Applecross Road, Pinehurst.
Online condolences may be made at www.boles
funeralhome.com.
Boles Funeral Home of Seven Lakes is serving the family.