COLONEL STEPHEN L. BETTINGER
Col. Stephen L. Bettinger (USAF retired) passed away peacefully at home in Kirkland WA on December 4, 2010. He was 86 years old. During his final year Steve’s family and friends became the focus of his life. His Prayers and his Faith increased as he prayed for his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. On Thanksgiving Day twenty members of his family gathered around him for the last time to hear him say “Bless us O Lord, for these thy gifts,” his blessing for the Thanksgiving meal. Steve’s joy was apparent as he asked to hold his newest great-granddaughter three months old and to welcome to the family his grandson’s new wife. Steve was well known and loved by many. The attached bio tells the story of one of the world’s greatest fighter pilots, considered by some to be one of the best combat aviators ever.
Stephen is survived by his wife, Marilyn (Lynn) Logsdon Bettinger, and his children, who all live in the Seattle area, sons Karl, Stephen, Bob, Tom and John, and his daughters Mary Gibbs, Catherine Gardner and his wife’s daughter Illana Barnert, who lives in California. He is also leaves19 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.
The Bettinger family invites you to participate in the funeral plans listed below. If you wish to send flowers, you are welcome to send them to Barton Family Funeral Service for display during the viewing and at the funeral mass. Perhaps in lieu of flowers you would like to make a donation to The American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718 Oklahoma City, OK 73123. If your interest is in children and education, consider making a gift of money to Stephen and Marilyn’s favorite charity, a Catholic Boys School in India. Checks can be made payable to: “Salesian Missions” with the memo line specifying “Fr. Leslie, sdb, Rector, in Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh, India,” and mailed to Selesian Missions at 2 Le Fevres Lane, New Rochelle, NY 10801. Over the years Stephen and Marilyn have had direct contact with the mission school through her cousin Judy who works as a volunteer at the school.
Viewing Vigil: 6pm to 8pm Thursday, Dec 16 at Barton Funeral Home Kirkland.
BARTON FAMILY FUNERAL SERVICE
11630 Slater Ave NE, Suite 1A Kirkland, WA 98034
Funeral Mass: 11 am Friday, Dec 17 at Holy Family Church Kirkland.
A reception will be held immediately following the mass in the Parish Center.
HOLY FAMILY CHURCH
7045 – 120th Ave NE Kirkland, WA 98033
Cemetery Burial: 2:30 pm at Sunset Hills Memorial Cemetery Bellevue. Full Military Honors will be rendered including a Jet Fighter formation fly over.
SUNSET HILLS MEMORIAL PARK
1215 145th Place SE Bellevue, WA 98007
COLONEL STEPHEN L. BETTINGER BIO
COLONEL STEPHEN L. BETTINGER was born April 28, 1924. in Newark. New Jersey. He enlisted as a Private in the US Army Air Force in June 1942. After flight training, he was awarded his silver wings and commissioned a Second Lieutenant on 3 November 1943.
WORLD WAR II COMBAT: He flew the P-40 aircraft and then trained in the P-47 Thunderbolt. He joined the 12th Air Force, 57th Fighter Group, in Italy and Corsica, where he completed over 100 missions as a fighter-bomber pilot. He was credited with shooting down one ME·109 German fighter.
KOREAN WAR: Numerous fighter assignments followed until he volunteered for the Korean War, where he flew with the world famous 4th Fighter Wing, out of Seoul, Korea. Colonel Bettinger flew 95-1/2 missions and shot down five MIG-15s, probably destroyed another, and damaged two more MIG-15s. This made him the 39th and last JET ACE of the war. Unfortunately, he was shot down and became a prisoner of the Chinese during the closing months of the war.
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: Making Jet Ace, followed almost immediately by a high speed bailout going straight down, with the aircraft blowing up at the same instant as bailout was initiated.
DECORATIONS: Colonel Bettinger was awarded the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Air Medal, Purple Heart, Commendation Medal, POW Medal, the French Croix-de-Guerre, and the Korean Chung Moo Medal with Gold Star, personally presented by President Sigmund Rhee of the republic of Korea.
RETIREMENT: After thirty-one years with the USAF, Colonel Bettinger retired in January, 1973 in Kirkland, Washington. His deceased first wife Elaine was from Trinidad, Colorado. They had eight children. Seven reside in the Seattle area and one little girl is in heaven. In his retirement Steve served as a Probation Counselor, as a Eucharistic Minister for Holy Family Church in Kirkland, and worked with alcoholics and drug addicts on their rehabilitation. In June of 2003 he and Marilyn (Lynn) Logsdon were married.
HOBBIES AND OTHER INTERESTS: Steve liked to fly, hunt, fish, ski, and jog as a younger man, and has twenty-five sky-diving jumps to his credit. He gave motivational talks on aviation in general, and the USAF in particular, to schools at all levels from grammar school through col1ege. He participated as narrator at air shows, and made guest appearances on local TV.