John R. Gilchrist

John R. Gilchrist, Jr., Lt Colonel USAF Retired, of Mauldin, S.C., passed to eternal life Wednesday, May 23, 2018. John, known as Jack, leaves behind his beloved wife of nearly 30 years, Bonnie Kuhn Gilchrist, formerly of Denver. Jack was the widower of Kaye LouDel Stages Gilchrist, mother of his first two children – Little Rock Police Officer John R., III and Theresa Ann, married to William J. Buchanan of Greenville, S.C., who are the parents of Jack's adult grandchildren, Cole Jackson and Caroline Kaye Buchanan. Also surviving are John's youngest son Michael J. Gilchrist, his wife, Robin Smith Gilchrist, and Michael's mother, Katherine Bell Gilchrist, all Little Rock, Ark., residents. Jack was preceded in death by his parents Major General John R. Gilchrist, USAF Retired and Mrs. Mabel Moran Gilchrist, both originally of Woonsocket, R.I., Jack's sister Carole Gilchrist Bassett, of Riverside, Calif., and Jack's younger brother, Robert M. Gilchrist, 1st Lieutenant USAF (MIA/KIA VN 1966) of Littleton, Colo. Born in Washington, D.C. in 1939, Jack enlisted in the Colorado Air National Guard in August 1956, entered active Air Force service in late 1959 as an Aviation Cadet and won his commission and navigator wings in the summer of 1961. He served his country abroad in Vietnam 1965-1966, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star, Germany 1969-1973, and Saudi Arabia 1976. Jack attended Archbishop John Carroll High School, Washington, D.C., was a graduate of Cathedral HS, Denver, a summa cum laude graduate of Golden Gate University, San Francisco, USAF Command and Staff College, and received an MBA degree from Auburn University. On retiring from military service in 1982, Jack worked for the Arkansas Department of Human Services, and retired from the position of Deputy Director of Management Services (1994), before becoming the business manager of Our Lady of the Holy Souls Catholic Parish, Diocese of Little Rock. His other affiliations included the American Legion – Post 3 SC, The Ancient Order of Hibernians in America – Harp and Shamrock Division, Catholic War Veterans, and the Knights of Columbus, 4th Degree Council 10819. Jack was an active parishioner of St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Simpsonville, S.C., since 2002, where his funeral Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated on Friday, June 1, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. Recitation of the Rosary will be held Thursday, May 31, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. with a visitation to follow until 8:00 p.m. at Thomas McAfee Funeral Home, Downtown. Interment will be held Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Colo., attended by Horan and McConaty Mortuary. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Disabled American Veterans, www.dav.org or Society of St. Vincent DePaul, www.svdpusa.org. Condolences may be made to the family by visiting www.thomasmcafee.com.