TOLEDO-Earl C. "Chet" McEltree, age 85, of Toledo died on Thursday, April 10, 2008 at Carrington Place in Toledo following a short illness. Funeral Services will be held on Monday, April 14, 2008 at First Presbyterian Church in Toledo at 10:30 A.M. with Pastor Clair Hein and Pastor LaVern Seth officiating. Interment will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery in Toledo. Visitation will be held on Sunday, April 13 from 4 to 7 P.M. at Kruse-Phillips Funeral Home in Tama.
Chet was born on March 5, 1923 in Toledo, Iowa, the son of Leo Earl and Martha L. (Thompson) McEltree. He graduated from Toledo High School in 1941. Chet enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force on August 25, 1942. He was united in marriage to Rhonda Burns on March 9, 1944 in Marshalltown. Chet was discharged from active duty and entered the Air Force Reserves on January 20, 1946. During the period from 1946 to 1950 he was employed as an appliance salesman and later as manager of the produce department in a retail grocery chain. Chet was recalled to active service on October 20, 1950. He made a career of service with twenty-seven years of active duty. Chet served in World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars. In June of 1974, he retired from the U.S. Air Force. Chet retired at the rank of Chief Master Sergeant, which is the highest rank of a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force. The most memorable moment of service for Chet was witnessing the first A bomb test at Alamogordo, New Mexico. During World War II he served on an anti submarine patrol. They monitored the Caribbean area, the Polish corridor, and patrolled from England to Germany. Later in his career, Chet worked in hurricane hunting and landing streams calibration. For his service Chet was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal with two clusters, the Air Force Good Conduct Medal with four knots, American Defense Medal, American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, the National Defense, the Air Force Longevity Award, and he was a USAF NCO DME Graduate. Chet was a member of the U.S. Air Force Association, the Air Force Sergeants Association, and the Sergeants Association. After his retirement, Chet was active in the Toledo area. He worked as a funeral assistant at Henderson-Overton Funeral Home, and volunteered with the Toledo Fire Department and Ambulance Service. In working with the ambulance service, Chet was certified as an EMT-I. He also volunteered with the meals on wheels program. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Toledo, Toledo American Legion Reining-Friedrich Post #72, Hiram of Tyre Masonic Lodge #118, and the Toledo-Tama Kiwanis Club.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and a daughter-in-law, Suzi McEltree.
Survivors include his wife Rhonda of Toledo; two sons, Bruce McEltree of Toledo, and Kelly McEltree of Dothan, AL; and one granddaughter Amy McEltree and Fiancé Matt Garringer of Toledo.
A memorial fund has been established for the Toledo Fire Department and Ambulance Service.