In Memory
There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots. But sometimes, there are old bold pilots. Tom Trail was born March 16th,1939 in McCook, Nebraska to Doane and Frances Trail. Tom was a pilot at heart his whole life whether he was able to fly or not. Like many of the Trail boys of the era, learning to fly was a fun activity you got to do at home. After a short stint in the Air Force Aviation Cadet program, Tom went on to pursue his passion for aviation in other various forms, such as aerial spraying, flying mail, corporate pilot, A&P, weights engineer (Beechcraft), and the old standby of telling stories at various airports around the midwest. Tom was married to Linda Johnson in 1969 and had four children. They later divorced and Linda and the children moved to Ainsworth, Nebraska. Tom moved to Long Pine, Nebraska in 1987 to be closer to his children. He was a longtime member of Ainsworth Lion's Club, Ainsworth United Methodist Church and choir, he was an active member of the Long Pine Chamber of Commerce, a volunteer EMT, and part of the Long Pine Historical Society. Tom was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by children: David (Dawn) Trail of Lincoln, Nebraska; Julie (Dan) Benes of Wahoo, Nebraska; Josh (Beth) Trail of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Matt (Justin) Trail of Phoenix, Arizona; siblings: Margaret (Dale) Nielsen of Papillion, Nebraska; Virginia (Vern) Trail of Apache Junction, Arizona; Richard (Ann) Trail of McCook; nine grandchildren: Brenden (Andrea) Trail, Cameron Trail, Reagan Benes, Daniel Benes, Adrianna Trail, Madison Trail, Titan Trail, Emry Trail, and Mirriam Trail. Tom lived his last days at the Veterans Administration home in Bellevue, Nebraska, where he was able to see kids and grandkids. He was well taken care of and was known to always have a craft project in the works. He passed away peacefully with family by his side in Omaha, Nebraska on July 8 2022 at the age of 83.
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