John L. Wolford Jr
Virginia Beach - On Wednesday, July 31, 2013, Captain John L. Wolford, Jr. made his final flight from ORF to HVN. Two weeks prior to his departure he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior and thus had the assistance of the Holy Spirit guiding his final approach. Jack, as he was known by family and friends, was born in June 22, 1939 in Washington, D.C. At the age of 14, Jack sailed alone to Europe with his trumpet on the S.S. United States. He graduated from High School in Wiesbaden, Germany and upon his return received an appointment by the Honorable Sam Rayburn, then Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the U.S. Air Force Officers training School, Lackland, AFB, Texas. He was then obliged to join the family business and would become a Milwaukee factory trained Harley Davidson mechanic in Washington, D.C. He enjoyed flat track racing and TT scrambles. He volunteered with the The Bethesda Chevy Chase Rescue Squad in Bethesda, Maryland and was a member of the Pelican's skydiving team. Jack was a horseman and at one point owned the Illinois State Champion Cutting Horse. Eventually his love for aviation led him to become a pilot flying crop dusters, air mail, and ultimately passenger airliners. Jack was hired with Allegheny Airlines June 2, 1969 and retired in the left seat of a USAir DC-9. Jack was an avid fisherman and hunter and in fact purchased the first 25ft Boston Whaler in the state of Virginia in 1983. He was a member of the NRA, Potomac Lodge #5 F.A.A.M., and the Airlines Pilots Association.
Jack joins his mother Betty "Tiggy" House and sister Dawn Sisson in heaven as well as countless other family members. He is survived by his wife Rose Marie Wolford, son Rev. John L. Wolford, III and his wife Lori, brother Richard Wolford, and sister Jane Gavin. A memorial service will be held in Little Compton, R.I. at a future date. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers that donations be made in his memory to the First Baptist Church of Woodstock, attn: City of Refuge. 11905 Highway 92, Woodstock, GA 30188.