Col. James Lawrence Fletcher, 94, took his final flight to heaven December 2, 2016.

He was born February 14, 1922 in Parksley, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, to George Alfred Fletcher and Bettie Katherine Johnson Fletcher. His father was a farmer and oysterman who passed away when Larry was 12 years old. His mother, a homemaker, and his older sister Doris, a teacher, both worked tirelessly to support the family along with brothers Jack and George.

Larry graduated from Parksley High School and attended the University of Virginia. From a very early age Larry was in love with flying and all things ‘airplane’. His youthful scrapbooks were heavy and loaded cover to cover with every type of flying machine known to man.

He was a walking encyclopedia of every detail of every airplane. He could identify a plane by the sound of it flying overhead. Then he would proceed to describe each individual modification and the date it was made since its invention. Even if it was a 2 inch change to the rudder in 1948!

As soon as possible he learned to fly. He joined the CAP (Civil Air Patrol) and logged over 850 flight hours. He patrolled over the Atlantic Ocean along the Eastern Seaboard scouting for German Submarines during WW2. He then joined the Army Air Force.

It was during his CAP service that he was credited with saving the life of a fellow CAP member after a forced landing at sea. That experience gained him a patch and membership in the famous Goldfish Club. His aviation experience also included crop dusting, air racing and a long career as a corporate pilot.

First Lieutenant Fletcher met Maybelle Fletcher in 1945. It was a match made in the little airport on Bosque Blvd. in Waco, Texas where Maybelle worked for flight time. Larry had never met a woman pilot so he promptly proposed. He had saved $1500 and asked her would she like a ring or an airplane. There are photos of them standing in front of her winged engagement ‘ring’! On October 14, 1945, her 21st birthday, they were married and purchased their first airplane together.

Larry and Maybelle owned Eastern Shore Air Service in Parksley, Virginia and later Fletcher Aviation in Houston, Texas. Maybelle began Fletcher Aviation with one airplane at Hull Field in Sugar Land. Larry joined her and they moved to Hobby Airport. The business expanded to a multi-million dollar business on the South Ramp. They employed as many as 47, offered flight instruction, testing, charter flights, fuel, and aircraft maintenance. They were a Grumman dealership and had a separate company that handled Grumman parts. Larry assisted Maybelle in developing the FAA approved Class B airspace surrounding Hobby Airport which is still in effect. Maybelle was an active member of the 99’s a women’s pilot organization started by Amelia Earhart and as her husband, Larry was a true supporting 49er, the name of husbands of the 99’s.

In December of 2014 James L. Fletcher was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal along with other CAP members in a ceremony in Washington, D. C. It was awarded in recognition of their Civil Air Patrol service for protecting the shores of America. In March of 2016 he was invited, as the lone surviving member of CAP Coastal Base 4, to the dedication of a historical marker in Parksley, Virginia, his birthplace.

Larry is survived by his children Sandra (Sandy) Fletcher Smith, David Lawrence Fletcher (Cynthia), and Suzanne Fletcher Wood (Ben). Grandchildren Lisa Irwin (John), Lorrie Lampson (Colin MacKay), Rebecca Garms (Jonathan), Sarah Slovarp (David) and Reagan Fletcher. Great-grandchildren are Julia Batinga (Edward), Daniel Hayden (Christina), Emily Whisnant (Brandon), Samuel Hayden, Elizabeth Hayden, Blake Garms, Brooke Garms, Isabella MacKay, Addison Henley, Maxwell Henley and Rylann Slovarp. Great-Great grandchildren include Madison, MacKenzie, Makayla, Jacob and Masyn Batinga.

Larry and Maybelle were active members of Houston’s First Baptist Church since 1956. Larry assisted Maybelle running the Second Grade Sunday School Department for 33 years. They were beloved members of the JOY Sunday School Class. Larry was a great Father, a gentle man, an encourager, intellectually curious to the very end (his atlases and his computer were worn out) and supportive of all family members’ endeavors, especially Maybelle’s projects. There was something authentic and familiar about him, as once someone met him, they never forgot him. All over town people who had not seen him in years would walk up and say “You’re Larry Fletcher!” and be so pleased to see him again! He was also hilariously funny!

After 71 years of flying together, Maybelle predeceased Larry by only 45 days on October 18, 2016. Royce Montgomery, a nephew, suggested she said upon his arrival in Heaven “Larry…, what took you so long?” She couldn’t do without her co-pilot in life. We will love and miss our Papa forever.

A Funeral service will be held in Waco, Texas at Oakcrest Funeral Home on Monday, December 12, 2016 at 10:30 a.m., lunch following. Bro. John Durham will officiate. Visitation will be Sunday, December 11, 2016 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
A Memorial service will be in Houston, Texas at Houston’s First Baptist Church Chapel on Friday, December 16, 2016 at 10:30 a.m., lunch following, Dr. John Bisagno to officiate.

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