Major Meadows was born April 5, 1924 in Longview, Texas. When he was 16, he paid one dollar to take his first airplane ride at a local airstrip. He graduated from Longview High School and joined the US Army Air Corps in December of 1942. During World War II, he flew C-46 and C-47 cargo planes between India and China across the Burma Hump. After WWII, he stayed in the Reserves and continued flying out of Barksdale Air Force Base near Bossier City, Louisiana. He was returned to active duty(1951) during the Korean War and flew B-29 bombers for SAC at Barksdale AFB. After the Korean War, he again stayed in the Reserves with short intervals of active duty during the Vietnam War flying C-124 Globemaster cargo planes. Major John D. Meadows retired from the Air Force April 5, 1984.
While in flight school, he met Bonnie Orman at a dance in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After corresponding by letter for one year, they married in December 1945 after the war ended. They moved to Longview, Texas and together raised three daughters. With the exception of the time he was in active duty with the U.S. Air Force, he worked at different jobs in the Longview area. He ran a dairy on the family farm, worked as an oil field scout, a machinist, meat inspector and various jobs on the steel roll mill crew for Marathon LeTourneau Co. He retired from Marathon LeTourneau in 1984. After retiring, he enjoyed taking care of his cows and raising a large garden on the family farm. Bonnie passed away in 2005 after 60 years of marriage. He then married Mattie Godwin in 2007.
He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Mattie; his brother and sister-in-law, Glenn and Martha Meadows of Houston; his three daughters and sons-in-law, Cindy and Wayne Shelton of Katy, Gwen and Tom Jones of Chandler and Debbie and Roger Kuykendall of Longview; four grandchildren, and 9 great grandchildren. He is also survived by two step-daughters and their husbands, Ruth and Jason Reece of Gilmer and Mandy and Trey Green of Gilmer as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and other loving family members. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Bonnie, his sisters, Shirley Jean Meadows, Mary Virginia Fowzer, Delores Lomax, Lucretia Gunn, and his brother, Wayne Meadows.
The family will receive friends for a time of visitation Monday, June 18, at 1:00 pm in the chapel of First Baptist Church, 209 East South Street, Longview. A memorial service will follow at 2:00 pm with Reverend David English officiating. Interment with military honors will follow immediately at Memory Park Cemetery Longview. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to First Baptist Church of Longview or a favorite charity. The family would like to thank Heart’s Way Hospice for their compassionate care of Dudley during his recent illness.
