Lieutenant Colonel George J. Hoerter, age 92, passed away Monday, August 19, 2013 at the Village of Lebanon. He was born in Louisville and graduated from St. X in 1938. He worked as a clerk and salesman for  H G Trompeter Wholesale Candy & Tobacco Company, before joining the Army Air Corps. He served as a B-24 pilot in England during World War II flying missions at night for the OSS and flew C-46's and C-47's during the Korean Conflict, and during the Vietnam era, he served as the Base Executive Officer at U-Tapao Thailand, a B-52 bomber base.
After retirement from the Air Force in 1974, he worked for the Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company before moving to Lebanon, KY, his wife's hometown, in 1980, where he has been a member of St. Augustine Catholic Church. He was a Chairman of the Parish Council in the early '80's and a member of the adult choir since 1981. He also participated in many community activities serving as a Board member and President of the Chamber of Commerce in the late '80's, and as a member of Lebanon Planning and Zoning Commission from 1987 to 2006. In the mid to late '90's he was a Board member and Chairman of the Marion/Washington County Airport Board, retiring in 2001. He was a life member of the Knights of Columbus, a member of the  Marion County Historical Society and was recognized as the Outstanding Chamber member in 1992, and as the Chamber's Outstanding Citizen in 2001. In September 2005 the Lebanon/Springfield Airport was designated as "George J. Hoerter Field" in his honor.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Arthur and Verna Hoerter; two brothers, Dr. John E. Hoerter, Jr, and Charles Hoerter.
He is survived by May La Motte, his wife of sixty-eight years; two sons, George "Joe" (Eureka) Hoerter, Sam (Nancy) Hoerter; two daughters, Dorothy (John) Lewis, Molly (Richard) Washburne; six grandchildren, Amye Lewis, Spalding Lewis, Ph.D, Ensign Alison Matsunaga, Joe Hoerter, Ben Washburne, and George Washburne.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, August 23, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Augustine Catholic Church, celebrated by Rev. Jerry Bell. Interment to follow in the church cemetery.
Visitations will be held on Thursday at Bosley Funeral Home from 5:00-9:00 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m.