- Date Of Birth: November 25, 1932
- Date Of Death: December 18, 2016
- State: New Mexico
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Lee R. Goettsche, Jr., 84, of Albuquerque, passed away from a sudden illness on December 18, 2016. His first and oldest grandchild, Khira Starr Beck Hahnel, age 42, of Casselberry, FL, passed away less than 24 hours later on December 19, 2016, after a long battle with cancer.
Lee was born in Silver City, NM, on November 25, 1932. After attending UNM, he joined the U.S. Air Force in 1953 to become a pilot. He married the love of his life, Bonnie Mae Littlefield, on August 14, 1955. Lee and his family traveled all over the United States, and he did a tour-of-duty in Vietnam from 1966 through 1967. He retired from the USAF on December 31, 1973 after 20 years of honorable service. He then went on to put in 15 years as a Security Guard for Sunwest Bank. He was also an avid member of The Albuquerque Soaring Club – he believed flying was as close to God as he could get, and when asked, he used to say that between flying, his wife, and his kids, he did not love one more than the other.
Lee was preceded in death by Bonnie, his wife of 40 years, on October 28, 1995. He is survived by his children, Cheryl, Pat, and Kenny; his grandchildren, Elizabeth, Rachael, Amber, and Abe; his great-grandchildren, Chloe, Max, Addisyn, MadisonMae, Zane, Ariana, and Uriah; plus many friends. He will be sorely missed, as will Khira.
Saturday, January 28th, 2017, 1:00pm, FRENCH – Wyoming
Sunset Memorial Park
