Emmet H. MusserLEWISVILLE, TXEmmet H. Musser, 95, passed away Monday, December 19, 2016, in Lewisville, Texas. He was born on October 13, 1921 in Rittman, OH. Emmet attended school at Milton Township, OH, and he graduated from Rittman High School, Rittman, OH, in 1938. He worked at the Ohio Boxboard Company and other side jobs until the outbreak of WWII. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Emmet travelled to Cleveland, OH, to enlist. He applied for Flight School to fulfill a childhood dream to become a pilot. He was selected for the program which was an arduous and difficult course. Emmet considered his completion of flight school from Aviation Cadet through Advanced Flight Training in 1942 as one of his greatest accomplishments. This certainly shaped his career and family location for the rest of his life. During WWII, Emmet flew B-17 (Flying Fortress) and B-24 (Liberator) bombers and he trained many pilots and crews for the new B-29 (Super Fortress) bomber using modified B-24 bombers equipped with B-29 turret guns. On September 2, 1943, he married Alice Virginia Bishop of Orrville, OH, in Salina, KS, while he was stationed at the Smokey Hill Army Airfield. At the end of WWII, Emmet was discharged from the Army Air Forces and returned to Rittman, OH. He was rehired at the Ohio Boxboard, and was promoted to die maker with a large pay increase. In 1953, Emmet was recalled to the military due to a need for pilots for the Korean War. He was offered a promotion to Captain in the US Air Force (previously the Army Air Forces) which he enthusiastically accepted; he then reported to Ellsworth AFB, SD to resume his military career. One of his more exotic assignments included Ashiya AFB, and Tachikawa AFB, outside of Tokyo, Japan; the family was allowed to accompany him and everyone enjoyed the Japanese culture before returning to the states and being assigned at Dyess AFB, Abilene, TX. During his final Air Force tour in Vietnam, he was selected to pilot his C-130 transport plane to fly Bob Hope and other celebrities around multiple Army, Navy, and Air Force bases during the 1968 USO Christmas Show. After returning from Vietnam, he remained at Dyess AFB until his retirement as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1969. After his retirement, Emmet bought a home in Abilene and enjoyed boating and fishing at local lakes, collecting rocks, lapidary gemstone work, and travelling around the United States with his wife Alice. Emmet was preceded in death by his parents Edward Musser (1893-1972) and Nora Viola Musser (1892-1969); his brother Vernon Musser (1916-2008); his sisters Pauline Berger (1918-1979), Emma Josephine Heppert (1919-2005), Violet Marie Lorson (1923-2015), and Mida Cook (1924-2006). His life was changed forever when he lost his beloved wife, Alice (1923-1986) to cancer. He continued to live alone in Abilene until 2013. He then moved to a retirement community home in Lewisville, TX, near two of his daughters and their grandchildren. In October 2014, Emmet was selected to go on an Honor Flight to Washington D.C. with other WWII veterans. The trip was sponsored by the Dallas Honor Flight Program. This exciting adventure, where he toured most of the Washington monuments to include the WWII Memorial, was his "last flight". Emmet is survived by 4 children: Carolyn Jeanne Kesler (Tom) of Arlington, TX; Joyce Louise Herzog of Sanger, TX; Jeanette Kay Shea (Mike) of Tehachapi, CA; and Ivan Edward Musser (Mindy Travillian) of Houston, TX. He is also survived by 9 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. These include: Lori Kesler Krische (Steve) and their daughter Ella of Sacramento, CA; Brent Herzog (Cyndi) and their children Brandon, Mason, Whitney and Jocelyn of Frisco, TX; Tara Herzog Giese (Chad) and their children Kimberly and Allison of Argyle, TX; Robert Kesler of Arlington, TX; Tom Shea (Vicky) of Tehachapi, CA; Trevor Wulke of Austin, TX; Zachary Beery of Houston, TX; Carson Musser of Houston, TX; and Hayden Musser of Houston, TX. Graveside services will be 2:00 PM Friday, December 30, 2016 in Elmwood Memorial Park Cemetery under the direction of Elliott-Hamil Funeral Home, 5701 Hwy 277 South. Visitation will be prior to the graveside service from 12:00 PM until 1:45 PM at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, Emmet requested that donations be made in his honor to www.doctorswithoutborders.org/Donate. For more information you can email this organization at [email protected] or call (888) 392-0392. You may view and sign the guestbook at www.elliott-hamil.com