John Henry Fuchs,Jr

John Henry Fuchs, Jr. Born in Houston, TX to Gertrude Wagner Fuchs and John H. Fuchs, Sr. on February 3, 1924 and passed away on February 5, 2011 after complications from open heart surgery. On October 19th, 1947 he married Stella Preston whom he had met at a welcome home party for returning WWII POW's. They were loving companions until her death on May 21, 2003. He graduated from Reagan High School in 1942 and attended Texas Tech until he joined the Army Air Corp to train on B-17 aircraft. On his and the navigator's first mission - with an experienced crew, they were shot down over Germany where they spent two weeks in hiding until their capture. He spent his twenty-first birthday on a rail car between prison camps and a total of eight months as a POW, until the war ended. He returned home, met Stella, courted and married her and had daughter, Stella G. (Trudy) Fuchs and son, John H. Fuchs, III, who married the "painless daughter" Nancy, who all survive him. He is also survived by his niece, Rita Donaldson, several cousins and Nancy's family. He has no grandchildren, but had a few grandcats and granddogs that he loved. John made friends easily and loved to visit with them. He worked in the geophysical industry that manufactured geophones for oil exploration, eventually becoming Senior Vice President. He enjoyed his homing pigeons from childhood and, after moving to Huntsville in 1967, found a new passion with his cows. He and Stella enjoyed country living and travelling and "going riding". For many years after the war ended, he suffered from undiagnosed Post Traumatic Stress. About sixteen years ago, a neighbor girl invited him to speak about his experience at her school. That is when he became involved in the early years of what has become the HEARTS Veterans Museum in Huntsville. We found a new family in the veterans and their families. The more he talked about his experiences, the easier it became for him. He finally began to feel like a hero, although he felt humbled by the experiences of other veterans. John enjoyed the notoriety and friends that came from his association with the museum family. He is survived by his loving friends, as well as his family. Memorial donations may be made to HEARTS Veterans Museum of Texas, 463 State Highway 75 N, Huntsville, Texas 77320 or at their website: www.heartsmuseum.com . Serving as pallbearers is Sam Houston State University, ROTC. Serving as honorary pallbearers are Hal Conwell, M.D., Jerry Harding, Jim I. Woods, Jay Richardson, Ernie M. Hall, Milton Kroesche, Clint Mcrae, John Sowell, Roy Loyless, B.J. Shotwell, Jeff Blount, Bill Pearson, Norbert Brocken, Patrick Pry, Mark Stephenson, Erich Krumm, Cliff Olson, Ron Pappas, Jon Harrison, Frank Liu, Denton Florian and the beloved veterans at the HEARTS Veterans Museum. Services for John will be held Thursday, February 10, 2011, 2:00 p.m. at Faith Lutheran Church in Huntsville, Texas with Pastor Travis Pittock officiating. Graveside service will follow with military honors at Bath Cemetery in Huntsville. Family will receive friends Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 5:00-8:00 p.m. at Sam Houston Memorial Funeral Home in Huntsville. Those wishing to leave memorial condolences for the family may do so at www.shmfh.com