Luther "Vandy" Henry Vandagraff

Chief Warrant Officer, (US Army, Retired), Luther Henry “Vandy” Vandagriff, age 82 of Midland City, passed away at his home in the early morning hours on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, surrounded by his loving family, after fighting cancer for several years.

Funeral services for Mr. Vandagriff will be held at 2pm on Saturday, March 13, 2021 at the Pinkard United Methodist Church with Reverend Delbert Freeman, Anthony Tutor, Eugene Kobes, Pastor Michael Woodward, and Chaplain John Gormley officiating. Burial, with full military honors, will be held immediately following the service in the Pinkard City Cemetery. The family will receive friends beginning at 1pm on Saturday at the church. Common sense social distancing shall be recognized. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Pinkard United Methodist Church, 196 Old Campbellton Highway, Pinkard, AL, 36371 or to Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, KS, 66675-8516, or visit support.woundedwarriorproject.org.  

Vandy was born September 13, 1938, in Wellington, Texas to the late Luther G. and Leila Fay Stall Vandagriff and grew up with his younger brother, Thomas Allan (Bud) Vandagriff in Aransas Pass, Texas. The son of a former Texas Ranger and a school teacher, Vandy was raised with the utmost of respect and self-discipline, which became the cornerstone of his life. After graduating high school, Vandy joined the US Army, where he served in a multitude of positions over a 24-year career. Beginning as a Private, and advancing to a CWO4, he started out with the Army Security Agency, advanced to special forces, where he became a Green Beret, advancing to an Army Aviator until he retired. His career was filled with challenge and adventure, and he always excelled to become a key member of any Team he was associated with. His professionalism and experience were instrumental in helping to develop the Special Ops Unit, “Task Force 160”, which has evolved into a top combat unit in the Army. Vandy served three combat tours in Vietnam, and three tours of duty in Germany.

Following retirement from the Army, Vandy went on to become a contract instructor pilot at Ft. Rucker, and then moved onto flying commercially for Saudi Arabian Helicopters, advancing to Chief Pilot. Following this, he continued his career with Tex Air Helicopters, out of Houston, Texas, as a love for flying never ended and the smile on his face showed just how much he enjoyed doing it.

Vandy was a devoted husband and father, and he shared his lifelong skills with his family to prepare them for what the future might bring. As a strong supporter of his local church, Pinkard United Methodist Church, which he supported in a number of ways.

Vandy is survived by his loving wife, Hilde (from Nuremburg, Germany), who he met and married on his second tour in Germany in 1967. He is also the father of two children, Sandra Vandagriff Bachman, and Tony Vandagriff. In addition, Vandy had three adoring grandchildren, Carmen, Zack, and Evangeline Vandagriff.

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