Gale W. House

June 18, 1919 – September 17, 2015

Gale W. House of Walla Walla died Sept. 17, 2015, at home.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, at Walla Walla Presbyterian Church. He was born in Sioux Falls, S.D., on June 18, 1919, to Bessie and Earl B. House. He attended schools in Sioux Falls, graduating from Washington High School in June 1937. He was active in sports and was a caddie at the Minnehaha Country Club during his school years. He was privileged to caddy for Babe Didrickson Zaharius during an exhibition match with then-U.S. Open Champion Gene Sarazen. He recalls her language would make a muleskinner blush!

He attended South Dakota State College on a football scholarship, majoring in engineering. Following his junior year, he received an appointment as a cadet in the U.S. Army Air Corps, one of the eight applicants out of 130 making the cut. He often stated that flying was the easiest thing he ever did. After training at Randolph and Kelly Fields in San Antonio, Texas, he received his pilot’s wings and second lieutenant’s commission on Feb. 7, 1941.

While stationed as a flying instructor at the Advanced Flying School in Stockton, Calif., he married Eleanor Ann Hansen of Madelia, Minn., on Dec. 1, 1941. She died on Sept. 14, 1977. Later, he was assigned as a flight commander in the 95th Heavy Bomb Group, flying B-17s at Geiger Field, Spokane. This was one of the first bomb groups to be posted to England, beginning the bombing assault of Nazis-held facilities in World War II. He arrived there in March of 1943 after flying his B-17 from Florida to England via Puerto Rico, Natal, Brazil, across the Atlantic to Africa and on to England. In July, he was promoted to major in the U.S. Air Force and appointed squadron commander of the 336th Bomb Squadron. He was the group leader on one of the longest bombing missions flown in the European Theatre to the German submarine pens in Trondheim, Norway, a site he and Dicksie visited on their 1988 trip to Norway. His flying career ended on his 20th mission to Kiel, Germany, on Jan. 4, 1944, after suffering a serious flak injury. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.

In 1946, he began employment with Pacific Power & Light in Walla Walla in the engineering department and served at one time as district engineer. In 1950, he purchased a John Deere dealership in Cokato, Minn., and operated that business for nine years. In 1959, he sold that business and along with Sy Thompson and Bob Lathrop organized Frontier Machinery, a major John Deere dealership in Walla Walla serving Southeastern Washington. In 1964, he entered the investment business serving as a broker with Foster & Marshall, Shearson and Ragen Mackenzie. He retired in 1999.

On March 29, 1980, her married Dicksie Thompson in Walla Walla, who survives at the home. Throughout his life he was known as the consummate gentleman. He was a lifelong enthusiast of fly fishing. His fly fishing friends referred to him as “the Tour director” as they looked to him to arrange the day’s activities and gear necessary to achieve success.

He shared his skills by teaching several interim classes at Walla Walla Community College, bringing many new members into this fraternity. His wife, Dicksie, joined him on trips to New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Christmas Island, Belize, Bahamas, Canada and Montana. He was a member of the Walla Walla Presbyterian Church, AM&FM Masonic Order, and Walla Walla Country Club.

He is survived by his wife, Dicksie, at home; daughters, Nancy (Todd) Gale of Seattle, Barbara (Nigel) Mitchell of Ivins, Utah, Libby (William) Frazier; step-daughter, Holly (Rick) VanSickle of Richland; three grandchildren, Megan (Brent) Golden, Brooke Frazier, Matthew Mitchell of Renton, Wash.; great granddaughter, Brielle Golden of Walla Walla; great grandson, Grayson Golden of Walla Walla.

Memorial contributions may be made through Herring Groseclose Funeral Home to Walla Walla Presbyterian Church, Walla Walla YMCA and Walla Walla Community Hospice or a charity of the donor’s choice.