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Colonel William Ronald Mainord February 6, 1941 – January 24, 2016 |
Colonel
William Ronald Mainord, USAF Retired, formerly of
Greenville, died on Sunday, January 24, 2016 at Harris Methodist Hospital in
Fort Worth. A graveside service will be 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, January 27,
2016 at Shady Grove Cemetery under the direction of Coker Mathews Funeral
Home with Rev. Stephen Cotten officiating. Visitation will be Tuesday, January 26, 2016 from 6:00 P.M. to
8:00 P.M. at the funeral home. Colonel Mainord, called Ron by family and Bill by military
friends, was born on February 6, 1941, in south Rains County on the Mainord Ranch to W.T. and Faye Cochran Mainord. After a
family move to Greenville, Ron attended Greenville schools where he
participated in basketball and track and was a class officer. He graduated
from Greenville High School in 1959 and received a basketball scholarship to
East Texas State College where he played for one year. His participation in
ROTC at East Texas led him to a life of service to his country. He enlisted
in the Air Force in 1961 and was soon admitted to Officer Candidate School.
As a young officer, he became a flight navigator and served one tour in
Vietnam. After returning home to the U.S., he was stationed at Omaha, Nebraska,
where he received his Bachelors and Master’s
degrees in mathematics from Omaha University. Ron was
then able to go to pilot training, and he served as a pilot for a second tour
in Vietnam. For the remainder of his 30 year Air Force career, he served in
various places around the world, moved up the ranks to Colonel, and ended his
service as the Defense Attaché to the Ambassador of Venezuela. After
retirement, Ron settled in the Granbury/ Fort Worth area. He was active in
church, in the Lions Club, and in local aviation. He instructed student
pilots, oversaw Air Force simulation training, flew firefighters into forest
fire zones, and flew his own plane for the love of it. He was
preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, sister-in-law, Betty Mainord and brother-in-law, Sandy Cunningham. He is
survived by his five siblings, Jerry Bryant Mainord
and wife Marcia of Greenville, Carlos Wayne Mainord
and wife, Judy of Lubbock, Max Joel Mainord and
wife, Maribette of Andrews, Marcia Kay Mainord Gilmore and husband, Joe of Caddo Mills, and
Steve Allen Mainord and wife, Peggy of Duncanville.
His memory is cherished by many nieces, nephews and cousins. Colonel
William Ronald Mainord, USAF Retired, will be long
remembered for his love of family, friends and his country. Donations
may be made to Military Officers Association of America, www.moaa.org or
Shady Grove Cemetery Association in care of Michelle Cole, 2549 CR 3104, Greenville, Texas 75402. |