George W. Mickey

Col. Mickey was born on May 30, 1937, to Andrew and Christine Mickey and raised in Minersville, a small mining town in eastern Pennsylvania. He graduated from Minersville High School in 1955, having excelled in baseball and football. He was selected to play in the 1954 Anthracite All Star Football Game. He attended Pennsylvania State University in Pottsville, PA, and then entered the United States Air Force in 1958 as an Aviation Cadet. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant / Navigator in 1959. He then completed Electronic Warfare Officer training at Keesler AFB, MS where he met and married the love of his life, Joan Dorothy Barrett in 1960. He was then assigned to B-52s with the Strategic Air Command (SAC). He was transferred to McCoy AFB Orlando, FL in 1961, where all three daughters (Pamela, Karen, and Page) were born. While stationed at McCoy, he was on B-52 airborne alert status during the Cuban Missile Crisis, flying 27-hour missions. His first remote deployment to Southeast Asia was in 1966, when Page was just 4 months old. In 1967 he was assigned to Northrop Corporation in Los Angeles with the AF Education with Industry Program. From there, he had remote assignment to Thailand with the F-105 Thunder-Chief Wild Weasel’s, number 615. His next assignment was at Cape Kennedy, FL in contract management, with his family living at Patrick AFB close by. His son Jason joined the family at this duty station. He was reassigned to SAC B-52s at Seymour Johnson AFB, NC, deploying to Southeast Asia once again from 1971-1972. He took part in the B-52 “Twelve Days of Christmas Campaign” in 1972. He was then assigned to Kadena AFB, Okinawa, Japan where sons Shannon and Joshua joined the family. While at Kadena he flew the MC-130E Combat Talon with the 1st Special Operations Squadron. He was then assigned to Naha AB, Okinawa, Japan as the Base Commander. The family left Okinawa and arrived at the next duty station, Eglin AFB, FL on New Year’s Eve, 1979. He retired from the Air Force in 1984 and worked several years as a defense contractor testing Electronic Warfare Systems.

Col. Mickey’s awards include 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 17 Air Medals, and 4 Vietnam Campaign medals.

After retiring from his second career, he attended mass daily, adoration, served as a Sacristan, Lector, and volunteered with Saint Mary’s Outreach Program in Fort Walton Beach to serve the needs of the less fortunate in our community. Later he switched parishes and attended Holy Name of Jesus in Niceville for many years. He also took great care of his wife, Joan, aiding with her every need as her health declined.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Joan Barrett Mickey and six children: Pamela Anne Mickey, Karen Mickey Hess, Page Michelle Mansfield (Carey), Jason Matthew Mickey, Shannon Andrew Mickey (Zasha), Joshua Wallace Mickey. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren, his brother Michael (Debbie), as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Andrew and Christine, his sisters, Virginia Zelensky and Lucille Molochnick, as well as his son-in-law, Jeffery Scott Hess.

He genuinely believed that God is real and with us every day in every way.

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