Wallace Austin Losee was born on February 9, 1907 in Clio Michigan. He was the son of George S. and Mae Eveleen (Boyer) Losee of Clio, Michigan. George and Mae had five children; Lester (1903), Lillian (1905), Wallace (1907), Mary Florence (1911) and Ernest (1913).

In the 1910 Federal Census, Wallace is three years old and was found with his parents and two siblings, Lester and Lillian. The family is living in Thetford, Genesee County, Michigan. George’s brother, Merton Losee is also living with them.  Four short years later, Mae died at the age of thirty, leaving George to raise very young children. George was a farmer. Wallace was seven years old when his mother died. In the 1920 Census, Wallace is with his father and his new wife Alice. They are living in Flint’s Second Ward on Wisconsin Street. With George and Alice are Lester who is sixteen, Wallace is thirteen, Ernest is six years old and Alice’s son, Gerald Delude who is sixteen. Mae and George’s girls, Lillian and Mary Florence, live with their Grandmother, Mary Florence Boyer nearby in Flint. In 1930, Wallace worked for a brief time in the auto industry in Flint.

Wallace served in the Air Force during both WWII and the Korean Conflict according to his burial plaque. I do not find enlistment records for him. Between 1931 – 1933, there is a Wallace A Losee who appears in Army Transport records. He is a Private and he travels between New York City and Panama several times. It appears that he may have served in Panama for several years. If this is Wallace Austin, then he served in the Army before serving in the Air Force, but without enlistment records I can not be sure about these records.  His obituary indicate that he enlisted in the Air Force in 1935 and served 20 years. He obtained the rank of Master Sargent at the time of his retirement in 1955.

On the 30^th of May, 1934, Wallace married Aileen Pearl Allison in Flint, Michigan. He was married by Everett A Smith who was his brother-in-law, married to his sister, Lillian Losee Smith. On July 9, 1937, a divorce was granted to Aileen Losee. According to the divorce decree, Aileen and Wallace had a seven month old son, Gerald A. Losee.

In the 1940 Federal Census, Wallace is living in Macomb, Michigan. He is an aircraft mechanic at Selfridge, Air Base. Wallace married Nettie McLaughlin on December 8, 1940 in Routoul, Champaign, Illinois. He worked at the Chanute Air Force base in Champaign, Illinois. Wallace and Nettie had two daughters; Teresa and Celia.

Forty nine years ago, Wallace died on September 10, 1970 in the Chanute AFB Hospital. He was buried in the Locust Grove Cemetery in Philo, Illinois.

Rest in peace, Wallace!

Love, Jan

Wallace is my Great Uncle.