Tom H Danaher

Tom Harding Danaher, 90, passed away Friday, September 12, 2014 in Wichita Falls, Texas. A Vigil will be held at Hampton Vaughan Funeral Home at 6:30pm on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 with Visitation to follow. A Funeral Liturgy will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Wichita Falls, Texas, at 3pm on Thursday, September18, 2014 with The Very Reverend Jack McKone, Celebrant, followed by a Committal Service at 4pm at Crestview Memorial Park with military honors.

Tom was born on May 2, 1924 to the late Gretchen and George Danaher in Little Rock, Arkansas. He entered Aviation Cadet Training in 1943 and became a Naval Aviator. In late 1945, as a U.S. Marine Corps night fighter pilot, Tom flew Grumman F6F-5 Hellcats in the VMF(N)543 “Night Hawks” squadron stationed at Okinawa. He was credited with shooting down three Japanese Mitsubishi G4M “Betty” bombers, the last being the final one for the U.S. Marine Corps. After WWII, Tom served with occupational forces at Omura, Japan. He was recalled during the Korean War and served with the VMF(N)513 “Flying Nightmares” stationed at Kunsan, Korea participating in B-29 escort missions and nighttime combat air patrols flying the Douglas F3D-2 Skyknight. Tom also served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves at NAS Dallas retiring with rank of Major. He was an honorary member of the Zero Fighter Pilot’s Association of WWII in Japan.

Tom continued to fly after WWII, starting a crop duster flying service in Louisiana. After the Korean War, he prospected for uranium in Utah with his brother Jim. Later, he owned a parking garage in downtown Wichita Falls and also flew charter flights in his Beechcraft Bonanza. In 1954 he made a non-stop transatlantic flight in his Bonanza to visit RAF friends in England and, on the same trip, had an audience with Pope Pius XII. Tom started a Volkswagen dealership in 1957 and later a Mazda dealership which he operated until the early 1970s. He was also involved with Radio London in the mid 1960s where he and a business partner purchased a surplus WWII minesweeper and used it as a “pirate” radio station just off the English coastline.

Tom built Lake Wichita Airport in 1968 which he operated for the remainder of his life. In the late 1970s he became involved in flying for motion picture scenes starting with “Firepower” and then flew and coordinated flying scenes in some two dozen films including “Death Hunt”, “Out of Africa”, “Empire of the Sun”, “Goldeneye”, “Air America”, and “Cliffhanger”. He also flew in the IMAX films “Wings of Courage” and “Amazon”, the latter using his own 1942 Grumman Goose for flying scenes along the Amazon River. He also operated a ferry business during this time, making over 100 transatlantic crossings in various types of crop dusters manufactured in Olney, Texas by Air Tractor. In 1981, Tom won the New York to Paris Air Race flying a Beechcraft Bonanza. He also hosted many hamburger feed/fly-in gatherings for his aviation friends and sponsored several Air Force Association airshows at his airport where he performed a unique “engines off” aerobatic routine in his twin-engined Beechcraft Baron. In 2005, Tom was awarded The Charles Taylor “Master Mechanic” Award and The Wright Brothers “Master Pilot” Award by the Federal Aviation Administration. In 2007, he was inducted into the Legends of Aviation. The last aircraft he piloted was a WWI Curtiss JN-4D Jenny trainer for the Museum of North Texas.

Tom is preceded in death by his parents, George S. Danaher and Gretchen H. Danaher, brother, James E. Danaher, Sr., and nephew, Pat Danaher.

He is survived by his lifelong and loving companion, Shirley Roberts, nieces and nephews: James E. Danaher, Jr., Mary Castle, Tom Danaher, Madeline Udashen, and BJ Danaher, including their families and many friends.

The family suggests memorials to Hospice of Wichita Falls at 4909 Johnson Road, 76310 or The Humane Society of Wichita County 4360 Old Iowa Park Rd., Wichita Falls, TX 76305

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