Obituary of George Leroy Wineriter

George LeRoy Wineriter, age 88 "LIGHTHORSE ACE" George (aka "Lighthorse Ace") was born on October 27, 1922 in Warren, PA, to Florien Wineriter, Jr. and Anna Bell Eldridge. He was the youngest of three children. His older sister is still living, but his brother died in the 1980s. They lived in Warren until George was about eight years old when his father took a position with the Government Printing Office in Washington, DC. George lived in DC until he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at the age of 18 during WWII. He trained at Cherry Point, NC and Pensacola, FL and served as a fighter pilot in the Philippines flying Corsairs on numerous missions. He served in VMF 313 and VMF 115 and also flew with Joe Foss (Joe's Jokers). VMF-313 was commissioned at Marine Corps Air Station El Centro on October 1, 1943. They trained there until May 1944 when they moved to Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean. There they continued to train including with Charles Lindbergh in April 1944. In July 1944, the squadron flew to Emirau in the Solomon Islands and began to attack Japanese shipping in the area around Kavieng. They arrived at Tacloban Airfield on Leyte on December 3, 1944 as part of Marine Aircraft Group 12. During the Philippines Campaign, 1944-45 the squadron lost 16 of its F4U-Corsairs. In 1951, he married his long-time sweetheart Audrey M. Finnell. A decorated veteran, he reenlisted during the Korean conflict and flew helicopters ferrying wounded marines as well as the F9F Panther Jet. While in Korea, he was unable to return home for the birth of his first child and only son, George LeRoy Wineriter, Jr. Following Korea, George returned to the United States and began flying for Pan American Airways, first out of Miami, FL and then later out of Idlewild (now JFK) in New York. In Florida, they welcomed their second child, daughter Tracey. Several years later while flying to Panama for Pan Am, his wife delivered their third and last child, daughter Janet. Six months later he was transferred to New York and after a couple of years and several furloughs later, George decided leave the airline to pursue his dream of working in the stock market. He became a technical analyst and worked for several brokerage firms, including his first and favorite at Amott Baker in NYC. Many years later George turned to commodities and held a seat on the Commodities Exchange. He pioneered the use of charting for purchasing stocks and had been quoted in such financial powerhouses as Fortune Magazine and Barron's. In the mid-80s, George and Audrey "retired" to Sebastian, FL where they lived for nearly 10 years. George continued writing his monthly newsletter and trading for a limited number of clients. He loved to ride his bike and could be found doing it at least once a day for miles on end. After 10 years in Sebastian, and at the ripe age of 75, George and Audrey sold their home and moved just a few miles north to West Melbourne, FL where they built the house that they each said was their most favorite place to live. Situated on a lake, they would sit and enjoy refreshments each evening as the sun went down. When Audrey passed away in 2004, George continued to live in W. Melbourne and travelled each summer and holidays to visit with Janet in Atlanta, GA and Tracey in Leesburg, VA. On one such trip in 2008, George suffered a heart attack and after a lengthy hospitalization, moved in with Tracey and her family, enjoying the last two years in his "bachelor pad" with the help of his exceptional "executive assistant," Janet T., who quickly became part of the family. In declining health, he fought off renal failure (thanks to the amazing and compassionate work of Dr. Oscar Adler), congestive heart failure and COPD until finally going home to rest on Saturday, November 13. He is survived by his son George, daughters Tracey and Janet, sons-in-law John Naughton and Philip LoBue, daughter-in-law Debra, grandchildren, Paul, Tom and Jeffrey Wineriter and Tara Naughton, sister Zona Jean Davis, several nieces and nephews and an array of wonderful friends. Anyone wishing to remember him in any way may make a donation to the Orlando Union Rescue Mission at 1521 W. Washington Street, Orlando, FL 32805. Visitation will take place on Thursday, November 18 th from 1:00 - 4:00 pm at Adams-Green Funeral Home in Herndon, VA. A service will follow at 4:00 pm. Internment will take place at Quantico National Cemetery in Triangle, VA, on Friday, May 20, 2011. Semper fi!