Winston Otto Goller

Winston Goller was born in Downey, California on Wednesday, August 13, 1930 and made his last flight on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. The journey started in Monrovia but the family spent their summers on their ranch in Belleville, Texas. He graduated from Monrovia high school and was on the All CIF football team which led to a scholarship at USC. He was recruited from Stanford, Cal, UCLA and the Naval Academy but chose to be a "fight on" Trojan.

After graduating with a BS in education and during the Korean war, he joined the Naval Cadet aviation program in Pensacola, Florida. After receiving his wings he married Theresa Lawson, also from USC with orders to Cherry Point, North Carolina in fighter squadron 334.

During this tour he had a harrowing rescue while returning from deployment in Puerto Rico in plane #13. He experienced anoxia, (a lack of oxygen) and being unconscious in a super-sonic nose dive he couldn't respond to the cadres calls to pull out. Miraculously he ejected into the Atlantic Ocean and the story was published by a squadron mate, F Lee Bailey. Fortunately for the military, the accident led to a re-design of the oxygen system and gloves plus a nickname of "Lucky Pierre."

There were lots of planes flown from his fixed wing trainers to jets with his favorite being the F8 crusader and the F4 Phantom. There were carrier landings, 200 missions in Vietnam, 12 air medals and 2 Distinguished Flying Cross, and a USC masters degree in Systems Management. Also, many duty stations in the Orient and in the "land of the beautiful" of Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Kansas, Hawaii, Massachusetts and California.

Then came a second career in banking as vice president and manager with Home Savings of America and then the real retirement in Dana Point, California. This opened up new college classes in computers, French, watercolor painting and cooking. There was always golf, trout fishing in the Sierras, Bible studies, and 88.1 smoothe jazz. There were trips to France, the UK to see the war memorials, Israel and Germany tracing his family history.

Winston had a strong faith and there was always a church membership with the last being South Shores Church Dana Point. He was the family warrior and greatly loved and respected by his wife, Theresa of 68 years, his children, Cory (Sherri), Caron, Kristofer (Malinda), the eight grandchildren, Cory Jr (Alex), Claire, Michael, Lacy (Shane), Zachary (Brittany), JD Ben Hur, Kylee and Sierra, and 7 1/2 great grandchildren.

A military service is pending at MCAS Miramar Air Station, San Diego. Donations can be made to South Shores Church Dana Point or The Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson's.