Samuel A. Gailey Jr. 91 of Ord Died Sunday, August 12, 2012 at the Valley County Health System Hospital.
Funeral Services will be held Thursday, August 16, 2012 at 10:30 am at the Ord Memorial Chapel with Pastor Russell B. Barelman officiating. Burial will be in the Cheyenne Memorial Gardens, in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Visitation will be held Wednesday from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Ord Memorial Chapel. Memorials may be given to the Donor’s Choice. Ord Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Sam was born February 14, 1921 at Williamsburg, PA to Samuel A. Gailey and Emma (Wetzel) Gailey. Sam was raised at Williamsburg on a dairy farm and graduated from Williamsburg High School in 1939.
On July 20, 1942, he volunteered for the military service. He went through induction at Indian Town Gap, PA and was sent to Camp Forrest at Tullahoma, TN. There he was in the 80th Infantry Blue Ridge Mountain Division Company D heavy weapons company, a company of water-cooled 30 caliber machine guns.
After a year in the Infantry he transferred to the Army Air Force. He was sent to Buckley Field, Colorado, to attend armament school and on to Nellis Air Force Base at Las Vegas, Nevada for aerial gunnery training, then on to Ellisworth Air Force Base at Rapid City, South Dakota and became a member of an Air Force crew in 1944.
In September of 1944, as a crew, he flew to England to become a member of the 398th Bomb Group at Nuthamstead, England. The crew was on their sixth mission, the target Muster, Germany, when the plane was hit by anti-craft fire. Two crew members lost their lives and the rest of the crew, including Sam, bailed out of the plane and became P.O.W.’s in Germany.
After six and a half months as a P.O.W., Sam returned home for a 60 day furlough. At that time, he pursued aerial photography, however, in the meantime, Japan had surrendered.
Sam was discharged from the service on November 13, 1945, at Gowen Field, Idaho, but remained in the Army Air Force Reserves.
Following active military service, Sam went to college at Colorado A&M, now Colorado State University.
Sam was married to Maxine Cossey August 17, 1947 at Sterling, Colo.,
Upon his graduation from college, Sam taught veterans his own age in what was known as the Institutional on the Farm Training for three years, taught Vocational Agriculture for eight years and then was employed by Farmers Home Administration as County Supervisor. He served in that capacity at Ord, Nebraska for 20 years.
Upon retirement, Sam became a Licensed Real Estate Appraiser and later a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser which occupied much of his time beyond regular employment.
Survivors include a son and daughter in law Tom and Shirley Gailey of Ft. Worth, TX., a daughter Kathy Gailey of Denver, CO; two Grandchildren Kurt and Kim Gailey both of Ft. Worth, TX.; five Great Grandchildren, Chase Morrison, Sydnee Gailey, Karlee Gailey, Harli Henry, Baze Gailey; and a special friend Alda Landrigan and her family
Sam was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; a brother James Gailey and a sister Margaret DeVany.
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