- Date Of Birth: October 13, 1924
- Date Of Death: November 10, 2022
- State: Idaho
Lorin Joseph Hubbard, 98 – October 13, 1924 – November 10, 2022, passed away with family by his side.
Lorin was the oldest of four and the last remaining child of Dorathey Crowley Hubbard and Lorin Hubbard, Sr.
In 1952 Lorin married Jean, who would be by his side for the next 67 years before her passing in 2019. They had one son, James Timothy, who passed away in 2006.
In 1942, at the age of 17, Lorin dropped out of high school his senior year and joined the U.S. Navy to fight in World War II. He served on the USS Independence in the Pacific as an airplane mechanic. In his later years, he regaled friends and family with stories of his time in the Navy. Lorin was a proud patriot; his time serving his country and servicing WWII airplanes were some of his proudest days.
After the war, Lorin put his Navy training to use and went to work for Pan American (PanAm) Airways and then Boeing. Working his way up the corporate ladder from mechanic to station chief. During his tenure with these companies, Lorin and his wife, Jean, lived overseas for 35 years and made lifelong friends. They resided in Wake Island, Guam, Hong Kong, Turkey, Thailand, Ethiopia, Brazil, New Zealand, and Kuwait. Lorin said that he always liked living in Istanbul, Turkey the best.
Lorin had some notable and historic career achievements in his life. While living at Wake Island in 1959, Lorin was privileged to be part of the flag-raising ceremony when the first United States Flag with 50 stars was flown. Lorin loved to share this story with others and would say, “I saw the first American flag with 50 stars on it raised.” On June 1, 1984, Lorin was one of three people on board the first non-stop delivery flight of Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-200ER from Washington D.C. to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a distance of 6,500 Nautical Miles. A plaque commemorating this proudly hung in his apartment until his passing.
In 1985, Lorin was looking forward to retiring in the coming years as he and Jean moved to Kuwait City, Kuwait. In August of 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, and subsequently, U.S. troops were deployed to Saudi Arabia. Saddam Hussein instantly closed Iraq’s borders, stranding all Westerners, including Lorin and Jean.
Lorin recounted that he was walking home one day and could hear tanks firing in the distance. Turning the corner to their apartment, he was shocked to see a tank rolling down the street. Lorin ran to their apartment and pulled Jean down to the floor. Just then, a tank round came through their wall and exited through the ceiling. They decided they would try to escape Kuwait with some of the other International Employees living in their apartment complex. Fleeing by car twice, both times they made it to the desert but were stopped at checkpoints and had to turn back. After the last time they returned, Lorin, Jean, and the rest of the apartment complex were taken hostage by Saddam Hussein’s army.
Lorin and Jean were transported to Baghdad and held as hostages together for about a month. Reverend Jesse Jackson helped to negotiate the release of 52 American wives and children being held. Meanwhile, the men were forced to stay behind. For the next three months, Lorin and the other men were strategically placed throughout Baghdad next to munition factories and used as human shield hostages.
Ever the charmer, Lorin somehow convinced a guard to smuggle out letters to Jean and bring in copies of an American newspaper so that he would know what was happening. During his four months in captivity, Lorin lost 25 pounds. In early December of 1990, Lorin was freed to return home and retire from Boeing.
Lorin and Jean enjoyed their long retirement together. They traveled the U.S.
Lorin, always a gentleman will be remembered for his big, gregarious smile and the mischievous twinkle in his eye as he teased those he loved. Lorin’s life was so incredible that, at times, you weren’t certain if he was pulling your leg or if he really was the mechanic who checked out the Navy’s famous flying ace Butch O’Hare, the namesake of O’Hare Airport. By the way, that story was a true one. However, the one about Lorin flying at 30,000 feet with the Maru class carrier below wasn’t.
Lorin loved music and loved to sing. His 3rd-grade teacher always told him to mouth the words; however, as he aged, he didn’t care and would sing his favorite song, “The Battle of New Orleans,” and his humorous version of the Marine Corps Hymn. It’s not ironic to anyone that heard Lorin sing his version of the Marine Corps Hymn that he happened to pass on the 247th birthday of the Marines.
Per Lorin’s wishes, Jean’s ashes will be buried with him.
