George David Henthorn

George David Henthorn passed away peacefully in his sleep on August the 6th at age 95. He was born to Jasper & Cora on January 16, 1921 at the family farm on West Reno in Oklahoma City. He was preceded in death by his five siblings: Elerick, Dorothy, Jack, Jesse, and Myrtle. After graduating from Putnam City HS in 1938, he attended electronics school then went to work for Honeywell Electronics in Dallas before enlisting in the U. S. Navy during WW II. His Navy aptitude test scores qualified him to go into any specialty he wanted. He chose to serve as a radar/sonar tech and an air traffic controller. He served at various duty stations, his last being at Majuro air base, located in the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific when the war ended. After being honorably discharged in 1946, he moved back to Dallas where he worked for Braniff Airways as an Electronics Tech. His next job was with Collins Radio as an avionics tech. He also served as an instructor in electronics, VOR, and instrument landing systems. He was based in Cedar Rapids IA and finished his career in Wichita KS. George retired as an Avionics Sales Engineer in 1990 from Rockwell Collins. After retiring back home to Oklahoma City, he enjoyed farming with his cousin Darrel J. and going to auctions. Many, many auctions. During his lifetime, George worked all over world on many highly classified U.S. military defense projects, such as satellite communications and missile guidance systems. He had many a story to tell of his travels and adventures. He called them his “sea stories”. But, when asked some specifics about certain projects, you were likely to see a mask come down and hear the words “No comment”. He also loved to bring gifts home to the kids in the family. We remember grass skirts from Hawaii, silver butterfly wing jewelry from Brazil, and transistor radios from Japan – things other kids didn’t have. To his nieces and nephews, he was a “rock star” and won the title “Favorite Uncle”. Back in the day, he usually drove a convertible; thus he had many lady friends. The family joke was that after he started dating one seriously, he would get deployed overseas on a lengthy project and, by the time he had returned, they had married somebody else. Thus, he never married, but he never lost his eye for the ladies! He flirted to the end. George was multi-talented, whether repairing farm equipment, building his own swimming pool (with diving board) or installing digital flight control systems. He was an accomplished pilot from his early twenties; he owned many airplanes thru the years, often flying in and out of the family farm, just like "Sky King". He had a superior intellect, strong work ethic, was fiercely independent, patriotic, and quick to give you his authoritative opinion. George had a generous heart, whether it was teaching one of his nieces or nephews how to drive or giving them their first airplane ride, or helping those that he considered in need, friend and family alike. He is survived by his nieces and nephews: Kathryn Dennis of Georgia, Jodie Billings and Rita Eliasen of Texas, Barry Henthorn of Oklahoma City and Tom Henthorn of Montana. The family would like to thank the staff at Fidelis Assisted Living and Memory Care Center and also Mission Hospice for the wonderful care provided to him during his time there. A Memorial Service is planned on August 30th, 10:00 am at Fidelis, 4825 NW 23rd Oklahoma City, OK 73027. Officiating will be Reverend Johnny Wray, of Mission Hospice. In lieu of flowers please make donations to Fidelis or to Mission Hospice, 2525 Northwest Expy #312, Oklahoma City, OK 73112. Our appreciation to Corbett Funeral and Cremation of Oklahoma City for their service and support. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of George David Henthorn please visit our Sympathy Store.