Elizabeth Buffa Mayhugh

Elizabeth Buffa Mayhugh, was born on October 24, 1928 in the small town of Skelton (Beckley) West Virginia. Her parents immigrated to West Virginia from Hungary. She was the youngest of ten children. Her parents and siblings precede her in death. She passed away on November 12, 2025, after a long illness.

Elizabeth joined the Air Force in 1950. On September 8, 1950 she arrived at Lackland Air Force Base to enjoy eight weeks of basic training. After basic training she was assigned to The Women's Air Force Commander in a secretarial role for a year before being transferred to HQ Technical Training at Keesler AFB in Gulfport, Mississippi. At Keesler, she worked in the Officer Records Division.

In September 1952 she was accepted to attend Officer Candidate School. She graduated from OCS in March 1953. After graduation, she was transferred to Langley AFB Virginia where she was one of the first females commissioned into the Medical Service Corps. While there, she formulated a training program for Paramedics. She was the first female and the first junior grade officer to serve on the Officers Club Board of Governors at Langley. After this, she went to Montgomery Alabama for Medical Service Training where she met and married her husband of seventy years. Thomas was also a MSC Officer.

In the 1950's, women were not able to perform many of the military roles that are available today. Elizabeth loved her time in the Air Force and felt that her military service opened the doors to the women serving today. Once she married, she was not allowed to continue as an Air Force service woman. But she was able to travel to duty stations in Japan, Germany, and within the United States with Thomas and her children until her husband retired in 1973.

Elizabeth was active in the Eastern Star in Wiesbaden Germany, the Lions Club and Crescent Hill United Methodist Church in Louisville Kentucky, and First United Methodist Church in Pensacola. She was a dancer, a skilled artist, and a graduate of the Wiesbaden Herzfeld School of Art.

Elizabeth is survived by her children; son, Thomas; daughters Mary, Anne, and Susan; grandchildren, Elisabeth, Linnea, Thomas, Kathryn, Angelina, Allison, Liam, Michael, and Elena. In addition, she has ten great-grandchildren. She will be dearly missed by her family, her Blake Assisted Living family, and her friends from church.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial contribution in memory of Elizabeth B. Mayhugh to The National WWII Museum, online at https://www.nationalww2museum.org/give/honor-your-hero/tribute-gifts-national-wwii-museum or, by mailing a check to 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130, or by calling 504.528.1944, ext. 786.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00 pm, Monday, December 08, 2025, followed by a Celebration of Life at 3:30 pm at The Blake of Pensacola, 428 Airport Blvd, Pensacola, FL 32503.