Laurence (Larry) Wood Bartlett, Jr. died in Las Cruces, N.M., on Oct. 6, 2017, at the age of 89.
Laurence is survived by his wife of 69 years, Virginia Hardesty Bartlett, of Las Cruces; his daughter, Judith Bartlett Humphreys and husband Doug, of Las Cruces, N.M.; his son, Laurence Wood Bartlett III and wife Debra, of Fort Worth, Texas; his daughter, Donna Bartlett Bochnowski and husband John, of Anthony, N.M.; grandchildren Mark Bochnowski, Sara Humphreys Neel, Christopher Bartlett, Daniel Humphreys, Amy Bochnowski Muro, Jeff Bartlett, Ryan Bochnowski, Tracy Bartlett Darbonne; and 19 great-grandchildren: Jordan Bochnowski, Taylor Bochnowski, Aydan Muro, Madison Muro, Ivy Bochnowski, Kaylynn Bartlett, Annalee Bartlett, Sophie Bartlett, Rebecca Bartlett, Charlotte Darbonne, Samuel Darbonne, James Neel, Charity Neel, Catherine Neel, Zoe Neel, Natalie Neel, Isaac Neel, Ayanna Humphreys, Asa Humphreys; and his brother, Donald Henderson Bartlett and wife Helen, of San Antonio, Texas. He is preceded in death by his sister, Elizabeth Bartlett Caramanico.
Maj. Bartlett (retired U.S. Army) was born on Feb. 4, 1928, at West Point, N.Y., to Col. Laurence W. Bartlett and Helen Bartlett. He graduated from Army Officer Candidate School, Fort Sill, Okla., in 1951. He retired from the U.S. Army as a major after 23 years of service. He was a Korean War veteran, an FAA designated flight examiner, flight instructor, and co-founder of Lube-N-Go, Inc.- Convenient Car Care. Maj. Bartlett was a member of the Military Officers Association and a founding director of the Order of the Indian Wars Club.
Maj. Bartlett was a designated pilot examiner for the following ratings: private pilot, commercial pilot, instrument pilot, flight instructor, instrument instructor and airline transport examiner. He received numerous FAA flight safety awards, including The Wright Brothers “Master Pilot” Award. Maj. Bartlett is listed in the El Paso Aviation Hall of Fame.
Maj. Bartlett had many hobbies and interests, including photography, the history of the Civil War, history of the U.S. Army in the west, shooting and reloading, and he was a historical reenactor of the 1830-1840 western fur trapper period.
Maj. Bartlett was a member of Grace Covenant Church of Las Cruces, N.M., and a faithful and dedicated Christian. He gave to many ministries, including the Salvation Army.
A funeral was held Tuesday, Oct. 17, at Grace Covenant Church with a reception at Good Samaritan Village, Las Cruces, N.M. Pastor Doug Coyle officiated the ceremony.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Salvation Army and/or the War Eagles Museum, Santa Theresa, N.M. The family would like to thank the nurses and staff of Mesilla Valley Hospice for their care.
