John Douglas Hiers, 85, retired USAF, of Tampa FL, died on Easter Sunday, April 5th, 2015. Doug was born on Dec 4, 1929 in Ehrhardt SC. He graduated from the Citadel in 1951 as a 2nd lieutenant. Doug met his wife Mary (Potts) while stationed at Mac Dill AFB in 1951. He served 23 years in the Air Force, retiring in Tampa in 1974 as a Lt. Colonel. He served in Korea and served 2 tours in Vietnam in 1963 and 1970. The highest medals he received were the Air Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters for combat air support in Saigon in 1963 and the bronze star for meritorious service in 1970. He loved flying the C123 and was the assistant wing operations officer for the C123 aircraft squadrons. After retirement from the Air Force, he worked for the city of Tampa as an operations analyst, worked in fleet maintenance, the Public Works Department and retired as the facilities manager in Building Maintenance in 1995. He loved pitching and playing baseball. He was an avid FSU, Bucs and Rays fan. He liked playing tennis, handball and Bridge. He loved to fish and hunt. He enjoyed teaching his granddaughter to fish. He also enjoyed his yearly hunts with his son and grandsons in Ehrhardt. He was a member of the Air Commando Association and a member of Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club. He was on the committee that received approval for night lights to be installed on the Palma Ceia Tennis courts. He loved going on cruises with his family to the Caribbean and the Mediterranean and visiting cities like London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, and countries like Scotland, Norway, and Spain. He was preceded in death by his parents Gilbert and Myrtis Hiers and infant son Todd Edward. He is survived by his loving wife Mary of 63 years and his devoted family of sons John Douglas Jr and wife Brenda, Bruce Thomas and his wife Lois; three grandsons, Todd and his wife Dee, Shawn and his wife Lindsay, and Ryan, and one granddaughter Maddi; two great granddaughters Ariana and Morgan. His love and support for his wife and family will be greatly missed. He left us with some wonderful memories. He was an inspiration and his passing will leave a big void in his loving family. The memorial service will be held at Blount and Curry, 605 S.MacDill Ave, at 3pm on Sunday April 12th. The burial will be private. In lieu of flowers Doug would like you to send donations to the Wounded Warriors Project in his name. https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/default.aspx?tsid=66&
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