Jon Mickley (@ROFCIBC) hasn’t been around the forums for quite a while but I worked with him and he was a good friend.
He was the kind of person that you could literally hear him in the pilot lounge and he was still parking his car in employee parking back in DFW.
One of my favorite memories, before he retired, was running into him in DFW and I said “Where ya goin’?”
“SLICK (SLC) to SNAH (SNA), then back to SLICK (SLC), the Fort Worth (he refused to call it Dallas) and hitting the road to Bossier City.
HWe were at opposite ends of the political spectrum, he was living in rural Louisiana and I was a 20-something from the west coast but we were instantly buddies because none of that mattered in those days. He’s a relic from the time you could have opposing opinions about anything and you would listen and consider the other persons perspective out of respect for the human. Then eat chicken wings and drink beer and throw verbal barbs at the union, those Council 47 “Hatless Miscreants” he’d characterize those of us that were DFW based like us.
He retired from he USAF as one of the Grand Poobahs/self-described “Mouth of the South” on his “Strato-Bladder” (KC-135), as he called it. Jon was loud, quite opinionated on some topics but always, ALWAYS kind and patient. The man was an event within himself. Whenever you’d run into Jon it felt like live theater because he was always naturally ‘bigger than life’ it seems always armed with a relevant story from his past to share from flying C-123’s in the jungles of “‘Nam”, his fabled “NASCAR rule book” or “Hey man, we have a long San Diego layover, dinner?” “Hooters, it’s the only place I go! Let’s see if Rusty Wall-ass gets put into the wall”.
Anyway, it’s been a long time, we had lost touch over the years since retirement, but thank you for the laughs and the friendship. You legend will live on.
===================================================================
~ IN MEMORY ~
DL Capt., Lt Col Jon E. Mickley , USAF (Ret.)
August 7, 1943 – May 22, 2025
Lieutenant Colonel Jon Ellis Mickley, a proud veteran of the United States Air Force, passed away on May 22nd…… Jon joined Delta Air Lines 10-09-1987. He is survived by his wife Barbara (Porter) Mickley, and by his daughter and his stepdaughter. Services honoring the life of Lieutenant Colonel (ret.) Mickley will be held on Friday, June 6<span dir="ltr">th</span> in Haughton, Louisiana.
PCN memorial site DL Capt. Jon E. Mickley
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/haughton-la/jon-mickley-12388023
Hill Crest Memorial Funeral Home & Park
Lieutenant Colonel Jon E. Mickley, a proud veteran of the United States Air Force, passed away on May 22, 2025. Jon was born in Huntington, Indiana to Vaughn and Bernice (Glock) Mickley on August 7, 1943. He graduated from Huntington High School and then went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and master’s degree from Troy University.
Jon began his distinguished military career by flying the C-7A Caribou in Vietnam where he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Vietnam Service Medal with 3 stars. During his active-duty career, he flew the KC-135 and he retired from the Air Force Reserves as a Lieutenant Colonel flying the KC-10. He finished his flying career as a Captain with Delta Airlines where he flew the MD-88, MD-90, and 757/767.
Jon was very involved with The Order of Daedalians fostering comradery and inspiring the next generation of military aviators. He was also a fifty-year Master Mason of Yosemite Lodge #99 in California, which is an accomplishment truly worth celebrating.
Although Jon had many professional accomplishments, he also had a very active and exciting personal life. He was a passionate racing fan (Indy and Nascar alike) and his love of all things Mopar was unmatched!
He was preceded in death by his parents, Vaughn and Bernice Mickley. He is survived by his loving wife of 28 years, Barbara (Porter) Mickley; daughter, Alissa Dawn (fiancé Randy); brother, Joe Mickley (wife Judy); and stepdaughter, Kimberly (husband Steve).
Services honoring the life of Lieutenant Colonel (ret.) Mickley will be held on Friday, June 6, 2025, at Hill Crest Memorial Chapel, 601 Hwy 80, Haughton, Louisiana 71037. Visitation will be from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm with a celebration of life at 2:00 pm. Interment with military honors will follow at Hill Crest Memorial Park.
Honoring Jon as pallbearers will be Darius Shepherd, Donnie Peregoy, Larry Cremo, Joel Montgomery, Robert Stachowicz, Dal Smith, Bruce MacFarlane, and Doug Nurdin.
The family would like to thank all of you who reached out to share stories of how Jon impacted your lives; those stories will be cherished forever. Special thanks to Bill Lewis, Charles “Buddy” Reed, and Tim Smith.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the local VFW.
He was the kind of person that you could literally hear him in the pilot lounge and he was still parking his car in employee parking back in DFW.
One of my favorite memories, before he retired, was running into him in DFW and I said “Where ya goin’?”
“SLICK (SLC) to SNAH (SNA), then back to SLICK (SLC), the Fort Worth (he refused to call it Dallas) and hitting the road to Bossier City.
HWe were at opposite ends of the political spectrum, he was living in rural Louisiana and I was a 20-something from the west coast but we were instantly buddies because none of that mattered in those days. He’s a relic from the time you could have opposing opinions about anything and you would listen and consider the other persons perspective out of respect for the human. Then eat chicken wings and drink beer and throw verbal barbs at the union, those Council 47 “Hatless Miscreants” he’d characterize those of us that were DFW based like us.
He retired from he USAF as one of the Grand Poobahs/self-described “Mouth of the South” on his “Strato-Bladder” (KC-135), as he called it. Jon was loud, quite opinionated on some topics but always, ALWAYS kind and patient. The man was an event within himself. Whenever you’d run into Jon it felt like live theater because he was always naturally ‘bigger than life’ it seems always armed with a relevant story from his past to share from flying C-123’s in the jungles of “‘Nam”, his fabled “NASCAR rule book” or “Hey man, we have a long San Diego layover, dinner?” “Hooters, it’s the only place I go! Let’s see if Rusty Wall-ass gets put into the wall”.
Anyway, it’s been a long time, we had lost touch over the years since retirement, but thank you for the laughs and the friendship. You legend will live on.
===================================================================
~ IN MEMORY ~
DL Capt., Lt Col Jon E. Mickley , USAF (Ret.)
August 7, 1943 – May 22, 2025
Lieutenant Colonel Jon Ellis Mickley, a proud veteran of the United States Air Force, passed away on May 22nd…… Jon joined Delta Air Lines 10-09-1987. He is survived by his wife Barbara (Porter) Mickley, and by his daughter and his stepdaughter. Services honoring the life of Lieutenant Colonel (ret.) Mickley will be held on Friday, June 6<span dir="ltr">th</span> in Haughton, Louisiana.
PCN memorial site DL Capt. Jon E. Mickley
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/haughton-la/jon-mickley-12388023
Hill Crest Memorial Funeral Home & Park
Lieutenant Colonel Jon E. Mickley, a proud veteran of the United States Air Force, passed away on May 22, 2025. Jon was born in Huntington, Indiana to Vaughn and Bernice (Glock) Mickley on August 7, 1943. He graduated from Huntington High School and then went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and master’s degree from Troy University.
Jon began his distinguished military career by flying the C-7A Caribou in Vietnam where he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Vietnam Service Medal with 3 stars. During his active-duty career, he flew the KC-135 and he retired from the Air Force Reserves as a Lieutenant Colonel flying the KC-10. He finished his flying career as a Captain with Delta Airlines where he flew the MD-88, MD-90, and 757/767.
Jon was very involved with The Order of Daedalians fostering comradery and inspiring the next generation of military aviators. He was also a fifty-year Master Mason of Yosemite Lodge #99 in California, which is an accomplishment truly worth celebrating.
Although Jon had many professional accomplishments, he also had a very active and exciting personal life. He was a passionate racing fan (Indy and Nascar alike) and his love of all things Mopar was unmatched!
He was preceded in death by his parents, Vaughn and Bernice Mickley. He is survived by his loving wife of 28 years, Barbara (Porter) Mickley; daughter, Alissa Dawn (fiancé Randy); brother, Joe Mickley (wife Judy); and stepdaughter, Kimberly (husband Steve).
Services honoring the life of Lieutenant Colonel (ret.) Mickley will be held on Friday, June 6, 2025, at Hill Crest Memorial Chapel, 601 Hwy 80, Haughton, Louisiana 71037. Visitation will be from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm with a celebration of life at 2:00 pm. Interment with military honors will follow at Hill Crest Memorial Park.
Honoring Jon as pallbearers will be Darius Shepherd, Donnie Peregoy, Larry Cremo, Joel Montgomery, Robert Stachowicz, Dal Smith, Bruce MacFarlane, and Doug Nurdin.
The family would like to thank all of you who reached out to share stories of how Jon impacted your lives; those stories will be cherished forever. Special thanks to Bill Lewis, Charles “Buddy” Reed, and Tim Smith.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the local VFW.
