Hi, Classmates,
Below you’ll find my report on today’s memorial service for George Byron. The morning was single-digit cold in Colorado Springs with maybe 3 inches of overnight snow on a thin glaze of ice from freezing rain. As I got about half way from the South Gate to the Chapel, however, the sun came out, and all the trees looked as if they had been flocked. It truly was a beautiful drive from there on to the Cadet Area. I didn’t read the announcement closely enough so I sat upstairs for about 20 minutes while everyone else gathered downstairs in the Catholic Chapel. So I didn’t get to visit with the family before the service, and I didn’t get all the names. George’s daughter, Denise, has since filled in most of the things I missed, so this is an updated version of my original message posted on 12 Jan 07. When I joined in, USAFA Catholic Chaplain, Father Efren Adversario was officiating. Another distinguished looking priest was sharing the service. Later as he acknowledged various attendees, he mentioned the names of Karen and Stinky Steinbrink. My first thought was now there’s a priest who’s done his homework. As I focused a bit more on the priest, I recognized Jerry Adinolfi. He’s actually an Episcopalian Minister with a church in Coffeyville, Kansas. I should have guessed his ID sooner because earlier in the day I was wondering if this latest snow storm had kept Jerry in Kansas.
George was our third classmate to memorialize, along with Calvin Nay and Wes White, since our mini-reunion in October when we had only Ken Har to recognize from the previous 12 months. So everybody take care of yourself out there. Happy New Year,

Jimmie H. Butler
Proud Member of the USAFA Class of 1963




Farewell to Classmate George V. Byron
12 January 2007

Today we said our final farewell to George V. Byron at the USAF Academy’s Catholic Chapel and at the USAFA Cemetery. Those in attendance included family and friends from Oregon, California, Nebraska, and Kansas and maybe another state or two. The class of 1963 was represented by Jerry Adinolfi, Bob Donovan, Dave Nuss, Jimmie Butler, and Stinky and Karen Steinbrink.
Father Adversario and Minister Jerry A. shared in the readings from the Bible and prayers. George’s nephew, Keith Byron, read a passage from the Bible. A bagpiper played from the back of the chapel at times during the service and when the Honor Guard carried George’s casket up to the hearse. George’s eldest child, Denise, thanked everyone for attending and presenting. She read a poem she had written to her father. Denise was kind enough to let me have a copy afterward, so here are her words.


Fairy Tales
Every night when I was three
you'd send me to sleep with your
rich and resonant voice.

It was fairy tales you'd share
and then sing a song or two.


My mother was by my side
trying to find the place in your
reel to reel letters
where you'd say

"Let me say good night to Denise."
There'd be a pause
and then a story and then a song.

Each night while awaiting a new tape
she'd rewind and play the old.

You'd try to disguise the fatigue and stress
but you couldn't block out the sounds
of the men, your brothers,
Preparing to leave
Preparing to fight
Preparing to die.

Thank you for my love of stories
my love of tales and of fairies...

One year I was given a book of
Stories and Tales.
The words were big and the stories long.
I kept it with me every night
a comforting companion on my dreamtime journeys

Though the binding finally broke,
the Irish Kelly cover never faded.

And it was lost
many moves ago
in the wanderings of the eldest child of
a traveling father and gypsy-souled mother.

Our journeys do not end
until our bodies are laid to rest
and we are welcomed home;

We send you into deepest
slumber with stories and song
to guide your way into sweet
dreams everlasting,
Sleep well in this, your final resting place.

Following Denise’s tribute to her father, the piper played Amazing Grace.

Son, Chris Gerteis, stood next to talk of his father. Chris didn’t really know his father well since the early 70s but was pleased to have learned so much over the last two weeks. Chris talked of being grateful for meeting comrades, friends, and George’s long lost love. He also talked of things that demonstrate the measure of a man. At some time back, George’s brother had passed away and George took his nephews, Keith and Kevin, as his own sons. Chris thought that was a good measure of his father’s character. George’s third child, Kate Gerteis, had attended the funeral in San Francisco but was unable to join us in Colorado. After more from Father Adversario and another reading from the Bible, classmate and Episcopalian Minister, Jerry Adinolfi, eulogized his friend and former roommate. Jerry made a reference to the class yearbook and said instead of Gorgeous George, Joyous George had been the more appropriate nickname. Jerry started with memories from our Academy days. He talked about how smart George was, and how maybe academics had been a bit of a bore because they weren’t enough of a challenge for George. Jerry suggested that perhaps George had aced the Graduate Record Exam we took as 1st Classmen. George had attended RPI before coming to the Academy, and Jerry suggested now the letters be changed to RIP. George had been the squadron activities officer and for while had a girlfriend on a 1,500 acre ranch up by Elizabeth. So the ranch became the location for a number of squadron parties. In one case, George had managed to borrow an Air Force generator, but unfortunately hadn’t borrowed any oil, so that didn’t work out as well as it might have. Jerry talked about serving on active duty at the same time on Guam, when George was flying B-52s on combat missions to Vietnam. That was probably the time referenced in Denise’s poem. Jerry mentioned an incident involving a B-52 off in the mud and how that was not considered to be a career enhancement for George. In later years as Jerry served a church in Coffeyville, Kansas, George arranged to have a monthly donation of $50 sent to Jerry’s church. That had paid for the choir robes still in use this year when Jerry turned toward his choir in a recent service where George’s passing was announced. Jerry said George wasn’t one to talk his religion. He just lived it. Jerry closed out with, “George, I love you, and God bless you all.”

George’s family was invited to come up alongside the casket for some final words of remembrance. The Honor Guard then took George’s casket out to the hearse for transport to the cemetery.

The Honor Guard wore dress blues at the chapel, but at the cemetery, they were appropriately decked out for the Arctic blast that had come to Colorado last night. The temperature likely still was less than ten degrees at about 11 a.m., and a stiff south breeze kept the American flag extended straight out at half-staff on the flagpole. George’s gravesite is just north of a nice pine tree, and the chairs had been set to face north during the graveside service. So that helped the mourners during the short service. The Honor Guard carried the casket to the bier, then went through the methodical ceremony of folding the flag. Winter gloves and wind whipping at the flag made that more complicated than for the ceremony at Cal Nay’s service last month. But the Honor Guard made sure the result was perfect. The major who headed up the honor guard presented that flag to a colonel from the Class of 1982. The Colonel presented that flag to Willetta Clark, George’s long, lost love referred to by Chris. She told me afterward that she had attended Colorado Women’s College and dated George some during our cadet days. They had gone their separate ways and lived their separate lives until George called her about 40 years later. Denise wrote to me that she had not met Willetta before yesterday and was struck by her grace, her elegance, her humor and intelligence. “She cared deeply for my father.” Another flag was presented to Chris. An undoubtedly chilly bugler sounded Taps for George and a 21-gun salute followed. I had told the bugler before the service that we appreciated him being there, and he’d said he was glad to do it. I played trumpet long ago, and this wasn’t a great day to have to put one’s lips to a cold mouthpiece. Jerry and Father Adversario offered some final graveside words, and the memorial ceremony came to an end. We didn’t get a class picture today, because we didn’t want to interfere with the family having some time afterward at George’s casket. By then, the weather was scattering those in attendance. Denise’s husband, William Machado, came to me afterward and said just recently he had discovered that his uncle, Geff McCarthy, was a member of the Class of 1963. He said that Geff finally was retired after signing up for the reserves so he could fly the F-111. Chris introduced himself afterward. I had told Denise earlier when I asked for the poem that I had kind of become the class’s unofficial “current history” person and wanted to pass along the poem to Bob Hayes’s e-mail list of classmates. So, Chris said that he is a trained historian spending this year at Creighton University in Omaha after spending last year at Yale. Since learning of George’s death, Chris has been researching the Class of 1963 to learn more about George’s background. Chris said that we seemed like a very interesting class, and that he was going to continue researching and write up something about our class. So he said he’d be trying to talk to some classmates willing to talk to him. So Chris Gerteis may be trying to talk to some of us to learn more about our class. At one point, he warned me that I might not like some of the things he would write as he would be approaching us from the objective, unbiased position of a historian. I told him I was sure the Class of 1963 would stand up quite well to any scrutiny he subjected us to.

Denise and others (including the colonel from the Class of 1982 who presented the flag) mentioned that it was nice that classmates showed up for George’s service. I told them that was what we do in our class. Certainly the bitter wind and dangerous roads reduced our numbers—but we were there and will be next time, which I hope won’t be required nearly so quickly. Bob Hayes will keep us up on any future services, and we invite any of you who can to join us next time the situation arises.

The performance of the Academy’s support people was outstanding under extremely adverse circumstances. I have since delivered a Letter of Appreciation to the Base Commander on behalf of members of the Class of 1963.


Jimmie H. Butler


I’m attaching 3 pictures: One shows Jerry Adinolfi and the major in charge of the honor guard beside the casket in the chapel; the other two are self explanatory.

Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3