Obituaries

Ray Martin Cole

Photo of Ray Martin Cole
Major General Ray Martin Cole, 89, of San Diego, Calif., went to be with the Lord July 14, 2012. Born April 15, 1923, in Trumann, Ark., to Rufus Earl and Katie Martin Cole (property owners and farmers for many years in Poinsett County, Ark.), he was preceded in death by his parents, brother (Earl) and daughter Katie Finley. From his first marriage to Mary Randall Cole, are three children: Katie (deceased), Marty (retired from Air Force and Southwest Airlines, resident of Chicago, Ill.), and Randy (practicing ophthalmologist, Rogers, Ark.). The resulting five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren gave him much happiness. In 1980 General Cole married Gwen King Deshazo Cole, who survives him. General Cole graduated from Trumann High School in 1940, attended Arkansas State College until 1942, at which time he entered aviation cadet program and received his pilot wings and commission as second Lieutenant in March 1943. Upon completion of advanced flight training at Lubbock Army Air Field, Texas, he was assigned as B-24 aircraft flight instructor Ft. Worth Army Airfield, Texas until November 1944. During WWII, he flew the "Hump" in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations totaling over 800 hours in 72 combat missions in B-24, C-109 and C-54 aircraft. General Cole returned to the United States in January 1946 and served as a foreign transport pilot with Air Transport Command at Wilmington, Delaware, Westover Field, Massachusetts, and Washington, DC. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and a Master of Science degree in business administration from Northwestern University in August 1950. As the commander of the 30th Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, Okinawa, during the Korean War, he additionally served as a B-29 aircraft commander and completed 25 combat missions over North Korea. He attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University Graduate school of Business Administration in 1969. His military decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service medal, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal with three Oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal and the Air Force Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem. He was a command pilot with more than 7,000 hours flying time. After retirement from the Air Force, he moved to San Diego, California, where he worked in aircraft sales, flight instruction and taught Management at National University before beginning a second career in 1980 with Northrop corporation first in Saudi Arabia until 1985 and then in Pico Rivera, Calif. until 1990. His final years were spent in Whittier and San Diego, Calif. Graveside memorial service is planned for Aug. 25, 2012, noon, at the Oaklawn Cemetery, Jonesboro, Ark.

Published August 5, 2012

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