Retired Lt. Col. George E. Kusch, 89

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. George E. Kusch, of St. Petersburg, peacefully passed away Sunday, March 9, 2008, surrounded by his beloved wife of 62 years, Cecilia A. (Montgomery), and his two devoted children, Ellen and Robert. He was 89.

Born on Staten Island, N.Y., and raised in Englewood, N.J., George enlisted in 1943 in the Army Air Corps and went on to proudly serve his country as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force. His tours included World War II, Korea and Vietnam. As a pilot, this American hero flew, among others, the B-24, B-29 and B-52, before retiring to St. Petersburg in 1974.

After his distinguished military career, George filled his retirement years with cooking, gardening, golfing and yearly road trips to see his children in Dover, Del., and Boston.

Blessed with a wry sense of humor and a loving and selfless heart, George will be remembered forever by those lucky enough to have been part of his life.

He was preceded in death by his brother, William; and sister, Betty.

He is survived by his steadfastly loyal son-in-law, George Kinser; his grandchildren, Joshua and wife Jamie, and George and his fiancé Bobbie; and his three great-grandchildren, George, Madison and Joshua Jr.

A memorial service will be 3 p.m. Saturday in Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home-Tyrone Chapel, 7820 38th Ave., St. Petersburg.

Instead of flowers, donations are suggested to Helping Our Heroes Foundation, 21010 Southbank St., 805 Potomac Falls, VA 20165; or The Hospice of the FL Suncoast, 5771 Roosevelt Blvd., Clearwater, FL 33760.