George Elbridge Cothran, 82, died on Tuesday, June 28. He lived in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Cothran was born in Brownsville, Tenn. on November 2, 1922. He was the second of two children born to Elbridge Woods Cothran and Neva Estelle Johnson. George's father nicknamed him "Bud." He, his mother, father and sister moved to Lepanto, Arkansas in 1926 where Cothran completed high school just in time for World War II. A short time after a graduation from high school, he found himself wearing a sailor suit with a new job as rear seat gunner in dive bombers. During this time he developed a keen desire to be a Navy Pilot. In the fall of 1944, Cothran (or Nails as his Navy buddies nicknamed him) found himself in flight school at the University of Iowa. While in training, the war ended and many flight students quit and went home. Cothran stuck it out and finally in March 1947 won his Wings of Gold.

Cothran's first duty tour was two years flying transports across the Pacific to Honolulu, Johnston Island, Kwajalein, Guam, Manilla, Shanghai, Tsingtow, Tokyo and other points in the Pacific. In 1948, his squadron was sent to Europe on short notice to fly in the Berlin Airlift. One year later, the airlift ended and Cothran headed for Corpus Christi where he was assigned to the NAS instructor duty in the advanced training command. On the way, he stopped in Patuxent River, Maryland to marry Stella Pfeiffer, his beloved wife of 56 years.

After Corpus Christi, the family now including a young son spent two years in Lakehurst, New Jersey, then on the Key West for two years during which he learned to fly helicopters. In 1957, the family now four (a daughter born in Key West) moved to Argentia, Newfoundland. In 1959, the Cothrans were transferred to NAS, Memphis for three years where another son was born. In 1963, the family (now five) moved to Caracas, Venezuela for three years. After a great tour in South America, George was ordered to the USS Okinawa. He spent the next tour off the coast of Vietnam as a helicopter carrier. After a busy tour on the ship George was ordered back to Corpus Christi, Texas for his final naval tour. He retired from the US Navy on 1 July, 1971.

The next year he went into the commercial wasted disposal business and after ten busy years he and his partner had built up quite a business. They sold the business to a national company but continued to work for the new owners until he retired on February 1, 1997 at the age of 75. He lived with his wife Stella on Corpus Christi Bay, half way between the Naval Air Station and downtown Corpus Christi, along Ocean Drive. Together they owned and operated Cothrans Maternity and Uniform Center from 1975 to 2000.

Cochran was preceded in death by father, his mother, his sister and his third born child, Sandra Jean who died at birth.

He is survived by his wife Stella, his three children Michael (Diane) Cothran, Susan Cothran and Thomas Cothran and his four grandchildren Alissa (Carl) Carper, Sarah Wood, David Cothran and Kevin Fuls.

Memorial Services were held at 4 p.m. on Friday, July 1, 2005 at Seaside Funeral Home Chapel in Corpus Christi.