Joel Lansford

To My Son
Joel William Lansford

My first child Joel, was born to Julie and I, when we were based at Laughlin AFB, on the 23rd of November 1982. Over the next 23 years, Joel was joined by six siblings, Joshua, Jesse, Jacob, Joanna, Josiah and Janae. Joel had an early yearning to know God, and at the age of four asked God to forgive his sins and he began a personal relationship with Jesus.

Working for the Air Force and later an airline, we moved Joel 16 times by the time he was 18. Joel really enjoyed the years we lived in Tennessee where we had goats, horses, chickens, a large garden, and Joel bush hogged and bailed hay.

Joel left home when he was 18 years old to attend Cedarville University in Ohio fall of 2001. He applied himself to his studies earning a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering while at the same time earning the rank of Second Lieutenant in the US Army via ROTC. After college Joel was off to Montana working an engineering job, flying Black Hawk helicopters, driving semi trucks, and hunting big game. Joel was not content to just fly helicopters for the Army, but earned his airplane single and multi engine ratings and progressed up to ATP certificate in both helicopters and fixed wing. He was an instructor in single/multi-engine airplanes and helicopters.

Joel was lonely when he came to Israel in 2011 to visit us, and prayed for a wife while sitting at the tabernacle site in Shiloh near where Hannah prayed years before. God heard Joel's prayer and brought Julia Ann Mullen into Joel's life a few months later. After falling head over heals for her, the Army informed Joel that he was heading over to Afghanistan for a year. So Joel and Julia Ann became betrothed in the front yard of the Mullen homestead in Finger Tennessee, before Joel deployed. Julia Ann came up to live with us in Ohio, while Joel was overseas and we quickly loved her as a daughter. When Joel returned from overseas, in September of 2012, I married them on a private airport where Joel flew in to claim his bride and then flew away with her when the service was over. They settled down in Fairborn Ohio where Joel worked as an engineer, and flew as much as he could. In August of 2014, Joel became a Daddy when Julia Ann blessed him with identical twin baby boys named Adam Fielder, and Seth Francis. Joel loved his wife, and he loved his boys. He was so proud and happy to be a father, and to have a wife who dearly loved and took care of him. The twins would get so excited when they heard the garage door open, and knew their Daddy was home.

Joel, You were the best pilot I ever knew. I am so proud of you. Thanks for teaching me to fly again. It was fun working with you this past year in various piloting jobs you got me into. We don't know why your plane crashed, but I know something went terribly wrong on the 26th of January 2016. We have been crying and missing you. You went ahead of us, Joel. I am looking forward to seeing you again. Love, Dad

Joel is survived by myself, his father John F. Lansford Jr, and his mother Julie Lynn Lansford of Jamestown, OH, his siblings listed above, and grandparents Clara Bow Lansford of Mineral, TX and John and Janet Lyda of Newberg, Oregon.