Lt. Col. (Retired) Kenneth Edwin Booth

Funeral services for Lt. Col. (Retired) Kenneth Edwin Booth, of West Monroe, will be held at 12:00 PM Wednesday, April 10, 2019, in the chapel of Mulhearn Funeral Home, Monroe, with Dr. Kevin Stewart officiating. Interment will be in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA, at 3:00 PM Thursday, July 11, 2019. Visitation will be from 10:00 AM until 12:00 PM Wednesday at Mulhearn Funeral Home.

Lt. Col. Kenneth Edwin Booth entered his eternal home on April 5, 2019, at the amazing age of 97. He was born on April 10, 1921, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Bessie Spencer Booth and Claude Edwin Booth. He was raised in Horseheads, New York, and was a good son and brother to his two siblings, Vernard Booth and Audrey Allgood. Lt. Col. Booth was a student at Alfred University when the news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor broke out. He volunteered for the Air Corps and became the pilot of a B-24, which he named the Dottie Darling after his soon to be wife, Dorothy Steen. In WWII, he flew 50 combat missions as a member of the 450th Bomb Group, the “Cottontails” and was part of the historic bombing of the oil fields of Ploesti, Romania. Lt. Col. Booth was honored with various medals of distinction, one being the Distinguished Flying Cross; the Air Medal with six Oak Leaf clusters; the European, North African and Middle East Campaign Ribbons; and seven battle stars. When he was 92, he was awarded France’s highest medal, The Legion of Honor, at a ceremony at Chennault Aviation and Military Museum in Monroe. He will receive a final mark of appreciation for his service to our country when he will be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. After the war, he graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and later retired from Manville Corporation, where he served as Director of Marketing. His love of flight continued throughout his life, enjoying co-owning a Cessna 172 with his dear friend, Walter Pierron.

He is survived by his four children, Sandy Mills and husband, Lee Mills, who preceded him in death; Debbie Chennault and husband, David Chennault; Ken Booth, Jr. and wife, Kathie Booth; and Susan Spencer; five grandchildren, Sam Chennault, Chris Booth, Mary Beth Chennault, Jared Booth, and Ginny Shelton and husband, Paul Shelton. He was also preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy Steen Booth; and his grandson, Burt Chennault.

Online Registry/Condolences: www.mulhearnfuneralhome.com

Mulhearn Funeral Home
Sterlington Road
Monroe, LA