Harry Eugene LaVigne 27 Feb 1939 - 30 Sep 2024

Harry Eugene LaVigne of Cumming, Georgia, passed away on Monday, September 30, 2024, at the age of 85. He was born on February 27, 1939, in Waterbury, Connecticut, to Harry Eugene LaVigne Sr and Janet Campbell LaVigne. Harry, known as Brud, lived in Connecticut until 1948, when his folks relocated to St. Augustine, Florida.
Brud graduated from Ketterlinus High School in May 1956 and moved to Tallahassee, Florida, to attend Florida State University. He was a member of the SAE (Sigma Alpha Epsilon) fraternity and graduated from FSU in 1960.  Next, he joined the US Navy in 1961 after asking the naval recruiting officer if he could fly jets. After flight training, he was assigned to VAW-11 in Coronado, California, and in August 1963, he deployed to Vietnam for 7 months aboard the USS ORISKANY, flying the E-1B. In September 1965, he deployed once more to Vietnam aboard the USS KITTY HAWK for 9 months, flying the E-2A, which was the first for this aircraft. Returning to the US in 1966, he was assigned to RVAW-110, training new co-pilots for 3 years, and retired from the Navy in 1969.
In September of that year, he moved his family to Winter Park, Florida, where he started working for Delta Airlines as a commercial pilot. He moved his family to Miami, Florida, and in 1980 transferred to Dunwoody, Ga, to finish out his career. Harry flew the DC9, DC8, 727, and L1011, and in 1999, he retired as Captain on the 767.

Harry met his wife, Phyllis Jacobitz, in San Diego, California, in 1963 and married in July 1965. They had a son, Bryan, and a daughter, Karyn. He loved playing tennis and bowling with his Delta family. He loved to travel and camp in his Motorhome with his wife, children, and friends. A couple of years before retiring, Harry and Phyllis moved to The Great Outdoors (TGO) in Titusville, Florida, where he took up golf.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Harry Eugene LaVigne & Janet Frances Campbell LaVigne, sister Janice LaVigne Johnson, and Brother-in-law, Charles Leroy Johnson.  He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Phyllis Marie Jacobitz LaVigne of Cumming, Georgia; son Bryan LaVigne (wife Sherry) of Dallas, Georgia, daughter Karyn LaVigne Brown (husband Jody) of Cumming, Georgia and six grandchildren, Morgan LaVigne Hill (Daulton), Cody LaVigne (Breanna), Josephine Brown, Kayleigh Brown, Liberty Brown, and Mia Brown.
(Please share a memory or condolence with the LaVigne Family at www.nationalcremation.com.)

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