David Edward Honadle, Colonel, United States Air Force (retired), age 82, died of Alzheimer’s disease on October 28, 2002, at the home of his daughter, Susan Honadle in Floyd, Virginia.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Norma Jean Savage Honadle, his parents, William and Mary Burgoon Honadle, five of his brothers, Roy, Harry, William, Robert and John and his only sister, Irene. He is survived by his brother, Harold; his daughter, Susan; his son, David; five grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Colonel Honadle was born in St. Michael, Pennsylvania, and raised in Windber, Pennsyvlania. One of his outstanding achievements as a youth was, at age 14, to design the family home built by him and his older brothers. The family occupied this home until the 1960’s.
At age 19, Colonel Honadle enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He served in the Air Force for 30 years and rose through the ranks from Private to full Colonel. He served in numerous locations, including two tours in Europe. He received the Bronze Star while serving in Korea. In 1944, he received recognition for the design of an adapter that enabled the United States to launch 5,000 other-wise useless rocket bombs that assisted in ending the war in Europe.
Colonel Honadle received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1957 and his Master of Business Administration in 1958 from George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
In 1972, Colonel Honadle joined a little known electronics company called Linkabit. His knowledge of government contract policies helped lead this company to greatness and today is known as Qualcomm.
He was active in the Benevolent Order of the Elks for more than 30 years, was an avid golfer and enjoyed bowling.
Services and burial will take place at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 1 p.m. Friends wishing to attend are to meet at the Administration Building at 12 Noon.
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard