John Stanley Haisty, Lt. Col., Ret. Retired

John Stanley Haisty, Lt. Col., Ret., age 86, was born in Monticello, Ark. and died July 4, 2015 in Springdale, Ark. He was the son of William Preston Haisty and Ecil Christina Wells Haisty. John was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Wesley Kenneth Haisty and Carroll Wood Haisty; three sisters: Edna Bernice Haisty Durham, LaBonne Willene "Deanie" Haisty Jordan, Dorothy Nell Haisty Byrne; and one grandchild, Ryan Anthony Farris. Haisty is survived by his wife of 58 years, Carolyn Haisty; four children: Linda Haisty Skelton and husband, Ron Skelton of Springdale, Ark.; Brett Haisty and wife, Rose of Marietta, Ga.; Kim Haisty Williams and husband, Jim Williams of Little Rock, Ark.; and Philip Haisty and fiancée, Tracy Hudson of Russellville, Ark. John leaves 10 grandchildren who loved him deeply and consider him their hero: Layne Bass and Neal Skelton of Springdale, Ark.; Bryce Skelton and wife, Sarah of Fayetteville, Ark.; Kayli Farris of Maumelle, Ark.; Tyler Haisty and wife, Courtney of Russellville, Ark.; Jennifer Haisty of Russellville, Ark.; Samantha Haisty, Harriet Haisty, Margaret Haisty, and Finn Haisty of Marietta, Ga. Two great-grandchildren also survived and loved him dearly: Wilson and Eli Bass. Col. Haisty joined the United States Air Force in 1951, after graduating from Arkansas A & M College (now UAM). In March of 1953, he was sent to Korea where he served in the 80th Fighter Bomber Squadron–"Headhunters". From Jan. of 1954 until March of 1961, he was stationed at England AFB, Alexandria, La. His squadron at England AFB flew the fighter planes in the movie "The McConnell Story" starring Alan Ladd and June Allison. John served for three years in the 22nd TFS at Bitburg AB, Germany, during the height of the Cold War: 1961-1964. Upon returning the United States, he was stationed at 12th Air Force Headquarters in Waco, Texas. From there, he was sent to Vietnam as an advisor to a Vietnamese Air Force squadron of observer airplanes. Among his many assignments was a three year tour of duty at AIRSOUTH Headquarters (NATO) in Naples, Italy. There he was a member of the Tactical Evaluation team which performed readiness inspections of fighter squadrons in all of the NATO countries. His final assignment was to Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, where his position was in Headquarters (assistant Director of Operations). John retired from the USAF at Mountain Home AFB in 1974. On July 1, 1974, John and his family moved to Springdale, Ark., where they have lived until the present. John Haisty was hired by Walter Turnbow to work in sales at Steele Canning Co. in Springdale. Later the company was bought by Allen Canning Co. in Siloam Springs, Ark. John worked and retired from Allen Canning Co. Subsequently he was hired by Allen Bush to work for Bush Brothers Canning Co. He worked from home and was Institutional Sales Director for the Southern half of the United States for Bush Brothers until retirement in 1993. Visitation will be 5 p.m.-7 p.m., Tuesday, July 7, 2015 at Nelson-Berna Funeral Home. Graveside service will be 10 a.m., Wednesday at Bluff Cemetery in Springdale. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Earlene Howard Hospice Home, 901 Jones Road, Springdale, AR 72762. To sign the online guest book visit www.nelsonberna.com.