Obituary of Willard Glenwood Ewing

Willard Glenwood Ewing April 13, 1916 - October 05, 2007 Willard Glenwood "Buck" Ewing, 91, of Indian Trail, Brookfield, devoted husband of Gertrude Ewing passed away peacefully in the home he built himself 55 years ago at Candlewood Lake Club on Friday, October 5, 2007. Buck was born April 13, 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, son of the late Glenwood Scott Ewing and Mary Elle (Nelle) Petty . He attended Woodrow Wilson Collage in Chicago, became a pilot with the Army Air Corp, and spent a thirty five year career as a pilot. In 1943, he met and married Gertrude Smith, his wife of 64 years, where they both worked with TWA at Washington National Airport. Buck first flew with the Army Air Corp, then was a captain with Pan American Airlines, flying the Clipper flying boats across the Pacific. He then joined Transcontinental and Western Airlines, the predecessor of TWA as a captain, flew with the Air Transport Command during World War II, owned his own flying service, then joined Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO), flying DC-6Bs across the Atlantic to Saudia Arabia. In 1953 he set the speed record for private planes from Amsterdam, Holland to New York's Idlewild, now Kennedy Airport. In 1960, he then became chief pilot for Tapline, the pipeline sister company of ARAMCO. With that position, he and the family lived in Beirut, Lebanon for the next nine years, returning to Candlewood Lake most summers. Buck had many interests and talents and was an accomplished athlete. Hobbies included golf, tennis, water and snow skiing, bridge, carpentry and furniture making. He was a competitive spring board diver, and was named Athlete of the Year at Kelly Field, AZ, air base. He built his family home in Brookfield, and added a substantial addition to an earlier home in Levittown, Long Island which was featured in Better Homes and Gardens magazine in 1953. He will be remembered by his great kindness and generosity toward others, and by a generation to whom he taught much about sports and life. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his sons Glen Ewing and his wife Miriam Komaromy of Corrales, New Mexico, and Craig Ewing and his wife Kathy Ewing of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. He is also survived by seven grandchildren, Spenser, Hunter, Gabriel and Isaac Ewing of Corrales, and Alison, Julie and Kristen Ewing of Franklin Lakes. Funeral Information A memorial celebration and remembrance will be held on Sunday, October 7, 2007 at the Candlewood Lake Club Clubhouse. Donations Information The family would like to extend many thanks to the wonderfully compassionate and professional staff at Regional Hospice of Western Connecticut. Their support for both Buck and Gert was invaluable. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to Regional Hospice of Western Connecticut, 405 Main St., Danbury, 06810.