Obituary for Lesters Colleague

The squadron is flying to Missouri this morning....

AWCS(AW/NAC) Todd Ethington, 38, of Orange Park, FL, passed away, Wednesday, October 10, 2007 at the St. Luke’s Hospital in Jacksonville, FL. Services will be 10:00 a.m., Thursday, October 18, 2007 at the Speaks Suburban Chapel. Burial with full military honors will be in Mount Washington Forever Cemetery. The family will greet friends from 6 to 8:00 p.m., Wednesday at the chapel. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Todd Ethington Memorial Fund c/o Vystar Credit Union P.O. Box 45085 Jacksonville, FL 32232-5085. Todd was born October 12, 1968 in Kansas City, MO to Harold and Joan (Venable) Ethington. He grew up in Independence and graduated from William Chrisman High School in 1987, where he excelled in basketball. Todd enlisted in the United States Navy on the 21st of November 1988 and attended basic military training at RTC Orlando, FL. During his 18 years of faithful and loyal service he accumulated over 5924 mishap free flight hours and had attended over 100 naval and civilian courses. He was an Aviation Warfare Systems Operator and served aboard Navy P-3 Orion Aircraft. He was a veteran of the Cold War, Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Kosovo, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. His personal awards include; 2 Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, 5 Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals as well as various campaign and unit awards. He is survived by; his parents, Harold and Joan Ethington of Independence, MO; 2 sisters, Nikki Neely and her daughter, Raelee Neely, and her twins to be born later this year to Nikki and Casey Harris of Independence, MO and Kelly Ethington and her daughter Morgan Headquist of Blue Springs, MO and many extended loving aunts, uncles, cousins and other family too numerous to mention.