Frank Merritt Wallis

Frank Merritt Wallis, 88, of Missoula, passed away on Wednesday, September 24, 2014, at St. Patrick's Hospital. He was born on December 29, 1925, in Philadelphia, PA, to John and Florence Kelly Wallis.
In 1944 Frank entered the U.S. Army Air Corp and was immediately stationed in England. He completed 35 missions as a tail gunner in B-24 Liberator bombers before the war's end. In 1949 he was accepted into the U.S. Air Force Aviation Cadet program where he became a fighter pilot in P-51 Mustangs at Las Vegas Air Force Base. Shortly after graduation from the cadet program he was stationed in Korea. While there, he completed 65 Night Interdiction missions piloting the B-26 Invader. It was during that deployment he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism in the face of great danger above and beyond the line of duty while participating in aerial flight, the Air Medal for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight, and the Purple Heart for injuries sustained as a result of the hostile acts of the enemy while flying a mission. After the Korean conflict, Frank had numerous flying assignments throughout the United States, including Alaska before it was a state. In April 1962 through April 1963, he was deployed to Vietnam where he was stationed in Saigon and was a pilot with of the notorious "Dirty Thirty" squadron. He received the rating of Command Pilot while in the Air Force where he logged over 15, 700 hours of flight time. Notable among the aircraft he piloted were B-25 Mitchell bombers, KB-29 Aerial refueling tankers, SA-16 Search and Rescue aircraft, B-47 Strato-Jet bombers, Lockheed T-33 jet trainers, Douglas DC-3 transport aircraft, U-6 Utility aircraft, and the Douglas C-118 VIP transport plane. Frank retired from the Air Force in June 1967 and went on to fly for private charter services as well as the FAA as a Flight Facilities Inspector; piloting, once again his favorite aircraft the Douglas DC-3 (C-47).
On October 9, 1953, Frank married the love of his life, a pretty Pennsylvania girl named Mary Jane Bell. Their journey together lasted over 60 years. Together they had three children: John Merritt, Michael D., and Gail Ann.
In 1969 Frank and Mary Jane decided to relocate their family to Missoula, MT. With nothing more than an Air Force pension and a Volkswagon beetle, they arrived in Missoula in June of 1969. Frank became the stock manager at J.C. Penney's in downtown Missoula. In 1978 he began driving school buses for Beech Transportation Company; he drove school bus for over 15 years. By that time he decided to enjoy retirement.
He was preceded in death by his son, John. Survivors include his wife, Mary Jane, son Michael (Jonna), daughter Gail (Randy), as well as two grandsons Taylor and Landen.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, October 3 at 2:30 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 830 South Ave. W. with Pastor Molly Sasser-Goehner officiating, a graveside service will follow at Missoula City Cemetery with full military honors.
Condolences and memories may be left for the family at www.missoulafuneralhomes.com
"I sent his dog-tags and wings with him. So, Saint Peter be a good guy. Give him his halo and a pat on the back; he already knows how to fly."

This little poem was written by a family member, Virginia Wallis




Read Frank Wallis's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.