CAPT W. Paul Courtney, USN (Ret) (7 Jul 1933 - 22 Dec 2024)

Retired Captain W. Paul (Paul) Courtney, USN Ret., was born on July 7, 1933, in Fort Worth, Texas, and passed away on December 22, 2024, in St. Johns, Florida.  He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on April 24, 2025.  
Paul spent most of his childhood in the Houston area, except for the summers he spent in Tulsa, OK, with his cousins on his grandparents’ farm and in the oil fields. He met the love of his life, his beautiful wife Shirley Jean Tyson (deceased), at the University of Houston. After attending Officer Candidate School and Flight School, he was given orders to Honolulu, Hawaii, where Shirley eventually joined him, and they were married. He is survived by his two daughters, Karen Courtney and Lynn Courtney Hegedus (Pete), and his six grandchildren.  Karen’s children are Vanessa, Ashlyn, and Marcus, and Lynn’s children are Andrew, Kat, and Paul. Captain Courtney also left behind his beloved teacup Yorkie, Gigi.
Captain Courtney loved serving in the US Navy and especially as an aviator. He was qualified for carrier landings flying the E-2 Hawkeye aircraft and eventually served as the Commanding Officer (CO) of VAW-125 (1970-71) and RVAW-120 (1972-73). After a stint at the Pentagon, Captain Courtney was then assigned as Commander, Carrier Airborne Early Wing TWELVE (1976-78). He retired after 26 years serving his country and went on to work in the private sector until retiring to Florida in 1998.
(Source: Family provided)

---