Byron Boon
January 10, 1919 ~ December 25, 2007
Funeral services for Byron Bernard (B.B.) Boon, 88, of Linden will be 11:00 A.M. Saturday, December 29, 2007 at the Linden United Methodist Church with Bro. Mark McClanahan officiating. Burial will be in the Linden Cemetery under the direction of Reeder-Davis-Schindler funeral Home, Inc. Visitation will be held Friday from 6:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. at the funeral home. Mr. Boon was born January 10, 1919, in Carterville, Texas to Andrew Camp (Kemp) Boon and Eudora Kerr Boon. He passed away December 25, 2007 in a Linden Nursing Home. He is survived by two daughters and one son-in-law, Sue and Larry Hill and Brenda Deming all of Linden; five grandchildren and spouses, Tanya and Kenneth Recer and Chris and Sonya Hill of Longview, Tammy and Andy Kozsuch of Tyler, Justin and Kim Deming of Pflugerville and Jonathan and Katherine Deming of Mesquite; seven great-grandchildren, Ryan Recer, Seth Kozsuch, Sarah Kozsuch, Kate Kozsuch, Kaden Kozsuch, Emma Hill and Payton Deming; and numerous nieces and nephews. Mr. Boon was preceded in death by his wife, Lou Boon. Mr. Boon attended East Texas Teachers College, taught school at Warren Springs, was principal at Almira, and from 1940 1941 supervised the National Youth Administration in Linden. He joined the army on Christmas Day in 1941 and entered the Army Air Corps on 1-12-1942. Mr. Boon ferried all types of airplanes throughout the United States and Canada. He flew BT-13s, AT-6s, B-17s, B-24s, B-25s, P-51s and was involved in moving troops and cargo. In Alaska, his flying assignment was to keep the route from Alaska to the Hudson Bay open so the Germans could not get a foothold in Newfoundland. Between 1947 and 1949, he was an instructor in the Pilot's Aircraft Instrument Training School at Barksdale AFB in Barksdale, Louisiana. On a flight to Richmond, Virginia, the plane caught on fire. True to his sense of humor, he announced "Byron Bernard Boon says she's bail out boys, she's burning". All the crew bailed out, and everyone was O.K. On February 2, 1949, he was in a midair collision at Barksdale AFB and was critically injured, followed by over a year of rehabilitation in Walter Reed Hospital. Capt. Boon and Louise Bozeman were married on September 24th, 1949 at Walter Reed Hospital Chapel. He was retired from the Air Force due to his injuries. In October of 1950, Mr. Boon bought Bob Hoague's insurance agency in Linden. He was active in the community, serving in various positions and on various community and church boards. He was a member of the Linden Masonic Lodge #192, a Shriner, a member of the Linden Lions Club, Linden Chamber of Commerce, former Mayor of Linden and on the Linden Municipal Hospital Board of Directors. He was an entrepreneur with business in insurance, tree farming, real estate and various other ventures. He was an avid pilot, owning and flying airplanes until he was 80 years of age. He was a devoted father and grandfather who was adored by his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He had a love for life and people. He was a larger than life Texan who leaves a very large void in many lives. He will be missed. Memorials can be made to the Linden United Methodist Church or the Linden Cemetery Fund.
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