Lawrence George Alley

Lawrence G. Alley, 92, passed from this life on Thursday, November 12, 2015.

Lawrence George Alley was born in Butler County, Kansas on May 2, 1923, the son of John Franklin and Blanche Alice (Dennett) Alley. Lawrence graduated from Augusta High School in 1940 and worked at Boeing prior to attending Navy flight school in 1943, followed by the U.S. Marine Corp in 1944, earning his wings as a fighter pilot. Lawrence flew during World War II and became a decorated pilot with over 100 missions during the Korean War flying the Douglas AD Skyraider and earning the Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Korean Service Medal and the United Nations Service Medal.

Major Lawrence Alley was honorably discharged from the Marine Corp reserves with 19 years of service in 1960. He worked with his father in the home construction business, and was later joined by sons Larry and David forming Eastside Development Company building over 100 homes in the Douglass area.

Lawrence dedicated much of his time to his church, his family, his community and his friends. One of the founding fathers of little league wrestling, he helped form the Mid-Kansas Kids Wrestling League and assisted many communities in and around Butler County to start their own little league wrestling programs. For his efforts in building and promoting the sport of wrestling, he was inducted into the Kansas Wrestling Hall of Fame and later, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Stillwater, Oklahoma. He supported and followed his three sons in the sport of wrestling locally, across the nation and in 1978, internationally when son, David competed on a USA team in Iran. Lawrence served on the Douglass School Board and was a faithful, life-long member of the Church of Christ, serving as a deacon in his local congregation.

In Lawrence’s later years, he fulfilled his passion for aviation rebuilding several aircraft. He remained an active pilot to the age of 90 and over the past ten years enjoyed hosting yearly Fly-ins at Alley Field in Douglass, Kansas. Lawrence completed a memoir in 2013 of his experiences as a Marine pilot. His book, My Generation, 1923-2013, Memoirs of a Marine Pilot in World War II and Korea is available on Amazon.com.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia (Dunnell) Alley; sons, Larry (Sondra) of Winfield, Kansas, Terry (Cheryl) of Augusta, Kansas and David (Linda) of Douglass, Kansas; stepdaughters, Polly (Alan) Bloom and Sherri Braungardt all of Douglass, Kansas; 11 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife Phyllis Laverne (Young) Alley; parents, John Franklin and Blanche Alley; sister, Lola Mae Pierson, formerly of Douglass; and stepson, Scott Jones.

A private graveside service will be held for family members.

Friends and family are invited to a celebration of Lawrence’s life at his airplane hangar at 1220 E. 8th, Douglass, Kansas on Alley field, Saturday, November 21 from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm. Come and go; drive or fly in.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Augusta Church of Christ, 3500 N. Ohio, Augusta, KS 67010.

Saturday, November 21, 2015

12:00 PM - 3:00 PM

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