Harold Shockley
Lt. Colonel Harold Joseph Shockley, retired, 97, Comanche and Hamilton County rancher and surveyor, passed away at his home on April 13, 2023 at 5:55 a.m. following a brief illness.
His son-in-law and daughter, Jon and Pamela Loneman, and granddaughter Shannon McNett were with him went he went home to be with our Lord.
Visitation will be 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, at Riley Funeral Home. Funeral services will be Thursday, April 20, at Lamkin Community Church. Burial will be in Gentry’s Mill Cemetery.
Mr. Shockley was born Nov. 15, 1925, in Antelope and graduated from Montague High School.
“Shock,” as he is fondly remembered, enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943 during World War II, where he joined the 444th Bomber group. His flight crew was sent to India from which they flew missions over Burma, Singapore, the Himalayas and Taiwan. Shockley was the tail gunner for his crew’s B-29 Superfortress bomber, and he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for downing an enemy plane when they came under fire. Other missions included dropping bombs into Singapore Harbor, and his final mission was to join hundreds of other B-29s, which flew in circles around the USS Battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay in a show of force and celebration on VJ Day.
After completing 35 missions during WWII, Shockley had been awarded a Purple Heart, six Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Upon discharge, Shockley attended Texas A&M University, where he earned his degree in civil engineering. Later, he returned to complete his master’s degree in geology. Upon earning his bachelor’s degree in 1950, Harold received his commission as a second lieutenant and joined the Air Force at the onset of the Korean War.
Rather than taking a post as a tail gunner, the young officer became a navigator on a KB-29 refueling plane, where his new crew protected the Alaskan border from invasion. He was also stationed in Guam during the Korean War.
During the Cold War with Russia and Cuba, Shockley was assigned to Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., and to the Pentagon, where he served with CINCPAC Fleet.
In 1969, while still assigned to CINCPAC and stationed in Hawaii, Harold received orders for Viet Nam, where he served at Cam Ranh Bay and Phan Rang with the 21st Civil Engineering Combat Squadron. He was the base civil engineer and commanded the men responsible for construction, maintenance, the building of runways, roadways, bridges and more. During that time, his command was frequently shelled by the Viet Cong.
Upon returning to the States, Lt. Col. Shockley commanded the 557th Red Horse Squadron in Florida and then Panama.
In all, Shockley served his country for 27 years.
After leaving his military service, Mr. Shockley bought a cattle ranch in Lamkin, where he and his wife resided for 50 years until his death. Mr. Shockley was a well-known and successful Hamilton surveyor for 50 years. Shockley’s surveying business was not closed until he decided to retire in 2022 at the age of 96.
Mr. Shockley was preceded in death by his father, Luther Owen Shockley, his mother, Columbia Marie Beatrice Carminati Shockley, and the Shockley’s beloved son, Harold Bruce Shockley. He also was preceded in death by his brothers, Chester and Elvis, and his sisters, Edith, Hazel and Eva Mae, as well as a granddaughter, Jennifer Lee.
In 1949, he married the love of his life, Virginia Faye Newman Shockley, to whom he was married almost 74 years. Mrs. Shockley, a retired teacher, followed Harold around the world to various duty stations while caring for their children, Sheila Lee of New Braunfels, Pamela Loneman of Lamkin, Bruce Shockley (deceased) and Jonathan Shockley of Abilene. The Shockleys also raised two of their grandchildren, Jerrie Mossom of San Antonio and Jonathan (JJ) Shockley of Stephenville. The Shockleys enjoyed five additional grandchildren, Owen McNett of Huntsville, David McNett of Loganville, Georgia, Shannon McNett of Lamkin, Jennifer Lee (deceased) and Jason Lee of Austin; and numerous great grandchildren and one great-great-grandson.
Mrs. Shockley will continue to reside on the ranch she and Harold loved with their daughter, Pamela, son-in-law, Jon, and granddaughter, Shannon. Mr. Shockley will be sorely missed by his family, his church and the community.
