Harold Oliver Topping Sr.

After graduating from Ramona (Oklahoma) High School in 1939, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corp and served as carpenter and blasting expert for the construction of tourist cabins at the Osage Hills State Park near Bartlesville, Oklahoma. In 1941 he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps, completed navigation training at Kelly Field in San Antonio and then went to Hondo Army Air Base.

During the war he was stationed at Oahu, Kwajalein Island, and Okinawa. He married Edwina Strack of El Campo in 1942. She preceded him in death in 1980. Harold returned to Victoria in 1945 where he worked as a printer at the Victoria Advocate until his retirement in 1983. During the Korean War he was recalled to the Army Air Corps and served in Mobile, Alabama from 1950-51.

Harold was a longtime commander of VFW Post #4146 in Victoria. He was also a member of DAV and American Legion. He was a past president of the Victoria chapter of AARP, and a member of Our Lady of Victory Cathedral.

Survivors include his son, Harold Topping Jr. and daughter-in-law, Kathy Haworth Topping, of San Antonio; nieces Karen Lee Burdolski and Pamela Carol Moore, both of Kansas; and nephew, Nathan Thomas Gray of Missouri.

In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by Janet Elaine Topping an infant daughter in 1950; daughter, Lynette Marie Topping who died in 1953 at age 7; sister, Helen Hartegan of Gardener, KS; and sister, Alma Gray of Phoenix, AZ.

Graveside services will be Friday, June 5, 2015 at 11:00 am at Catholic Cemetery #3 in Victoria with full military honors under the auspices of the Victoria Veterans Council, AL, CWV, VFW, DAV, MCL, MOWW, Ex-POW, MPOH, VVA, KWV and NSB.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to help disabled veterans at www.dav.org.

Words of comfort may be shared at www.rosewoodfuneralchapel.com.