Edward LaMonte Henry

Edward LaMonte Henry, age 92, of Murphysboro, passed away at 10:10 a.m. Sunday, July 3, 2011, at the Rehab and Care Center of Jackson County in Murphysboro, Illinois. Gravesite services will be held at 12 noon Wednesday, July 6, 2011, at Pate Chapel Cemetery. Pettett Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. Edward was born on April 9, 1919, in Murphysboro, Illinois, to Frank Henry and Elnora (Cheatham) Henry. He was a graduate of the Murphysboro High School and he attended SIU-Carbondale. He served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II, where he was a pilot and an instructor in a military aircraft mechanics school. His working career consisted of forty years as a technical writer and illustrator of military aircraft instruction manuals with Cessna, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas Aircraft, and later he became the manager of the publications department. His other endeavors in aviation include flying Radio Controlled models, inventing and designing Radio Controlled Model Aircraft, establishing Radio Controlled Model Aviation Clubs. He also wrote the A.M.A. Safety Code and created contests including night flights, and invented the first Radio Controlled Dogfight performed in the United States. He invented, designed, built and operated the Fly Seat, a full-size cockpit for flying model aircraft. Because of his knowledge, interest, service, and inventions, he was inducted into the Academy of Model Aeronautics Hall of Fame in 2000, and the original Fly Seat is now at the A.M.A. Model Aviation Museum in Muncie, Indiana. He, also, invented the Add-A-Trickle charger manufactured and distributed by Ace RC, which allows radio gear to always be ready to fly. He designed various models with many unique features, such as models with floats, snow skits, parachute drop, camera equipment, and bomb bays that could drop candy to children. Besides all of this, he was the creator of Microhenry Cartoons, which started running in Model Aviation magazine in 1988. By 1998, more than 1,000 of these cartoons had been published in the magazine. A 190 page book was published with more than 600 of his cartoons. He had received compliments on his cartoons from other famous comic strip artists like Charles Schutz, creator of Peanuts, Mort Walker creator of Beetle Bailey, and Jim Mort, creator of Garfield. His other love of his life was his family. On the first date with Emma "Frances" Rucker, he asked her to marry him. She said that she would give him an answer on their second date. They were married on January 24, 1943 and were together sixty-two years until her death on November 20, 2005. He is survived by two children and their spouses Dan and Helen Henry of Las Vegas, NV and Sue and Steve Wolff of St. Peter's, MO; five grandchildren Tiffany Henry and Tine Henry of Las Vegas, NV, Stacy Zetterberg of Seattle, WA, and Alex Wolff and Jacki Wolff of St. Peter's MO; two great grandchildren Asher Zetterberg and Noel Zetterberg, who was born on June 30th; one niece Virginia Hannig and her husband Virgil Hannig of Carbondale; two nephews George Born and his wife Carol Born of North Little Rock, Ark. and Bob Born and his wife Sheryl Born of Wichita, KS; and several cousins. He was preceded in death by his sister Hilda Born.

Edward LaMonte Henry

April 9, 1919 - July 3, 2011