Chester M. Karney

Chester M. Karney, age 96, of Iron River, MI, passed away on Monday, February 16, 2015 in Wausau, WI. He was born on February 20, 1918 in Iron River, MI, the son of the late Walter and Bessie (Drozdowski) Karney. Chester grew up in the Morrison Lake Area and was a lifelong resident. He attended the James and Iron River schools, graduating from Iron River High School in 1935. He served in WWII as a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot with the 8th Air Force in England, completing 32 combat missions, of which five were over Berlin and two on D-Day. He also served six months on the Berlin Airlift, flying a C54 on 137 trips from Frankfurt to Berlin. He attained the rank of Captain and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, Medal for Humane Action, Berlin Airlift Award, Distinguished Unit Citation, and Citation from the French government. He was recently notified that he was a candidate for the French Legion Medal of Honor. Chester married the former Charlotte Johnson on August 5, 1944 in Stambaugh, MI and the couple made their home in the Iron River area. They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 2014. He was employed by the M.A. Hanna Mining Company, retiring from the Groveland Mine in January 1981. Chester was a member of the First Lutheran Church, serving for a number of years on the Church Council; American Legion Alfred Branchini Post #17 of Iron River; the 379th Bomb Group Association; the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center, to which he donated WWII memorabilia; the Berlin Air Lift Veterans Association; the Iron County Historical Museum; and the Lee LeBlanc Audubon Society. He served a number of years on the West Iron County Credit Union Board, former Boy Scout Troop #518, and provided the annual Christmas tree for many years for the Iron River Senior Citizen Center. On December 5, 2001, he was featured on the Canadian Broadcasting Discovery Channel relative to an Arctic experience. Chester enjoyed the outdoors and visiting his camps. He was preceded in death by brothers, Edward and Ben and sister, Irene Sanderson. He is survived by his wife, Charlotte; son, Scott (Carole) Karney of Springfield, VA; daughter, Kerry (Timm) Retzloff of Washburn, WI; sisters, Vina Meyers of Iron River, Ann Vick of Berkley, MI, Adeline Karney of Ferndale, MI; five grandchildren; nieces, nephews, and extended family. Visitation will be held on Monday, February 23, 2015 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the Jacobs Funeral Home of Iron River. Funeral Service will follow at 1 p.m. with Rev. Michael Laakko to officiate. The West Side Veterans will accord Military Rites at the service. Interment will be in Resthaven Cemetery, Iron River, MI. Memorial contributions may be made to the First Lutheran Church of Iron River. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Chester M. Karney, please visit our flower store.