Colonel phil handley biography of williams
Colonel phil handley biography of williams family.
Col.
Colonel phil handley biography of williams
Philip W. Handley USAF (Ret)
April 9, 1935 - March 1, 2019
On March 1, 2019, (Ret.) Col. Philip Winston Handley, loving husband and father, passed away at 83, in his home in Gainesville, Texas.
Phil was born April 9, 1935, in Wellington, Texas to Bura and Lila Handley. He attended the University of Texas prior to enlisting in the United States Air Force. He met and later married Solvejg Fletterman on September 1, 1961 in Evreux, France while attending pilot training. They raised two children, Philip Jr.
and Andrea.
He dreamed of becoming an Army Air Corp fighter pilot from the first moment he saw pictures of the great piston driven fighters of World War II.
Phil earned his commission and wings through the Aviation Cadet program in 1959.
He was a distinguished graduate from pilot training, fighter upgrade training and instructor pilot’s school. He “flew the line” for all but eleven months of a twenty-six-year career, during wh