Horace "Bud" Medley Jr.

Horace Armstrong “Bud” Medley, Jr., 90, passed away on February 21, 2021 at Stonegate Nursing Home in Ft. Worth, TX. He was born May 1, 1930 in Salem, VA, to Horace and Eunice Slusher Medley, the oldest of three children. His childhood years were split between the hills of Salem and the Tidewater area of Virginia where the Medley’s relocated so that Horace Sr. could work in the shipyards in Newport News supporting the United States Navy’s ship build-up during the second World War. At the age of 17, Bud enlisted in the newly created United States Air Force in October of 1947, a decision he would remain proud of and thankful for his entire life. He served not only during the formative years of the nation’s newest branch of the military, but at a critical time in U.S. history, The Cold War. Pulled from basic training before completion, Bud was selected to train recruits at Lackland Air Force Base between early1948 through 1951, after which he would serve the remainder of his career in aircraft maintenance, eventually achieving the rank of Chief Master Sergeant (CMSGT), the service’s highest enlisted grade. His time in service would take him to North Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States. He worked on and supervised maintenance activities on numerous aircraft assigned to the Strategic Air Command. Bud retired from the USAF at the former Carswell Air Force Base December 31, 1976 having served more than 29 years. His time after military retirement would find him “manicuring his lawn” and primping his always immaculate car. Bud rarely, if ever, missed a Dallas Cowboys or Texas Rangers game. Perhaps their biggest fan and harshest critic, he loved DFW area sports.

Bud married Joy Bricker in 1946 and Doris Wilma Hill in 1970. He was preceded in death by his parents Horace Armstrong Sr. & Eunice, his sister Bette, and two of his daughters, Midge Jackson & Shirley Keylich. Horace is survived by his daughter Judi Jech and her son Jordan of Richland, WA; his stepdaughter Wilma Lee Holliday of Ft. Worth, TX; his sister Dorothy Moore of Pasadena, TX; multiple grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives. A memorial service will be held at a future date and time. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the Disabled American Veterans. The family wishes to extend gratitude to Stonegate Nursing Home and VITAS Hospice Services