George Golden

George “Goldie” Donnley Golden, 75, of Atlantic, passed away Friday, Dec. 2, 2016, at Duke Medicine Pavilion in Durham.

His service was held Thursday at Atlantic Missionary Baptist Church with the Rev. Adam Self and the Rev. Terry D. McInnis presiding. Interment will be at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., with full military honors.

He was born on Sept. 26, 1941, in Beaufort Hospital to the late Christine Robinson and Robert Lee Golden. Goldie was born and raised in the Down East community and graduated from Atlantic High School in 1959. He then graduated from East Carolina University in 1963 and was commissioned through officer military training school in 1964. He earned his pilot wings in 1965 at Webb Air Force Base in Texas and completed combat crew training in F-102s.

His first operational assignment was with the 64th Fighter Interceptor Squadron in Paine Field, Wash. Six months later, he was in the Philippines. This assignment resulted in 266 hours of F-102 combat time in Vietnam. It was during this time that he was awarded the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He returned as an instructor pilot at Perrin Air Force Base in Texas, and later completed and served as an instructor at the Interceptor Weapons School at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. After a tour in Iceland in the 57th Fighter-Inceptor Squadron as a weapons officer, he was assigned to Moody Air Force Base in Georgia as a T-38 instructor pilot.

Following an assignment as section chief of instructor pilot instructor school at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, Goldie attended air command and staff college at which time he earned a master’s degree in business from Auburn University. Returning to the Air Defense Weapons Center at Tyndall, he served in test and evaluation in charge of the subscale target division. An assignment to Langley Air Force Base in Virginia began in January 1980 at Headquarters Tactical Air Command on the Deputy Chief of Staff Operations staff. He retired as the current operations division chief in January 1984 and settled in Hampton, Va.

After his military retirement, Goldie was president of KRIGO Associates Inc., a corporation providing field representation and defense-oriented consulting services. During the same time, he worked for several aviation and defense companies including managing the Hampton District Office for Rockwell International Corp. He finally retired from the industry in 2012 from Battelle Memorial Institute.

A lifetime Air Force Association member, Goldie had been a member of the Langley Chapter since 1981 and held various offices including vice president, community affairs vice president, programs chairman and president.

Since 2012, Goldie had spent most of his time in his hometown of Atlantic, fishing, hunting, traveling and enjoying his retirement.

Goldie is survived by his son, Robert Donnley Golden and wife RoseAnn Han Golden of Richmond, Va.; daughters, Theresa Kristin Golden Morgan and husband Ian Bradley Morgan of Auburn, Ala; sister, Judy Golden Gillikin and husband Jerry K. Gillikin of Beaufort; grandchildren, Cameron Kristine Golden, Davis Donnley Golden, Jackson Robert Morgan, Goldie Kristin Morgan; niece, Tanya Dawn Gillikin and husband Frank L. Harrison of Apex; special friend, Patricia Ennis of Morehead City; and other family members.

In addition to his parents, Goldie was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 24 years, Kristin Sigurdardottir Golden, a native of Reykjavik, Iceland. She passed away on Dec. 2, 1996.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in the name of Lt. Col. George D. Golden, U.S. Air Force, retired, may be made to the Wounded Airman Program, Air Force Association, Development Department, at 1501 Lee Highway, Suite 400, Arlington, Va. 22209 or online at www.afa.org/informationfor/military/afp/woundedairmanprogram.

Arrangements are by Munden Funeral Home & Crematory Inc. of Morehead City.

Online condolences may be made at www.mundenfuneralhome.net