TSgt Theodore Vlas USAF Retired

Benton, LA - Theodore Vlas Sr. passed away peacefully at home Sunday morning, December 1, 2013. Ted was born to Walter and Lula Vlas in Chicago, Illinois on March 3, 1929. He joined his brother Don and sister Marge and at a young age his family settled in Hesperia, MI. From the stories he would tell us, he loved growing up in an old farmhouse in this small town. Ted joined the Air Force at the age of 18 and saw a little bit of the world before fate sent him to an air force base outside of Lake Charles, La., then to a part time job at a department store called Muller's and right into the arms of a pretty southern girl who worked in the record department. Ted and Peggy married six months later and were married for fifty- nine years until she passed away in September of 2012. As an Air Force family we moved all over these United States, then settled here in Louisiana. Mom affectionately called daddy her "Damn Yankee," because, you know, a Yankee comes down south to visit, a Damn Yankee comes down south and stays! All we know is that his heart was always where she was, and until he passed, he still talked to her everyday and while he was able would leave her a rose beside her urn. Our daddy was a good, kind man, with a quirky sense of humor and the ability to let us know how beloved we were to him. There are many left behind to cherish his life and memories; son Ted and wife Suzie; daughter Janet and husband Randy; grandchildren Sasha, Jason, Heather and Jonathan; brother Don and wife Vivian; sister Marge; brother-in-law John and wife Betty Lou; sister-in-law Brenda and husband Ron; nephew Tom and wife Theresa; niece Romy and husband Todd; ten great grandchildren and one on the way; and numerous other nieces and nephews. Ted was also blessed with the nicest friends and neighbors anyone could ask for. Fly on sweet daddy, back into the arms of your pretty southern gal. You will always be in our hearts and we miss you so much already. A memorial service will be held at the Boone Funeral Home Chapel, 2156 Airline Drive, Bossier City, LA at 1:00 PM on Saturday, December 7, 2013. Friends and family are invited for a gathering at the family home after the service. The family requests that donations be made to Saint Jude's Children's Hospital in lieu of flowers.