Troy D. Oestreich, Sr.

Troy D. Oestreich, Sr., age 89, died Dec. 20, 2011.

He was born Sept. 9, 1922, at Ritzville, to Melven Oestreich and Martha Thiel Oestreich, where he grew up with his family.

He married Mary Ruth Polk in April 1944 at San Jose, Calif. During their life together, they served for 28 years in the US Air Force beginning in World War II. He was a pilot initially flying the Boeing B-17 and later heavy lift/cargo aircraft. He was a survivor of subsequent conflicts in Korea, the Congo and Vietnam.

They lived in places ranging from Hawaii to France and Alabama to Tacoma. In each place they lived, they...