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Lisbon resident celebrating 99th year

SALEM — Burdette J. “Donnie” Solomon will celebrate his 99th birthday on Wednesday, June 19.

The World war II veteran was born in Salem, the last of seven children. After graduating from Salem High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was stationed in Burma, working intelligence in tracking aircraft in the pre-CIA days.

After the war, he went to a tech college, receiving a degree of electrical engineering, which he used while still taking an interest in aeronautics, working until retirement at the Federal Aviation Administration’s National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center in Cardiff, N.J., designing instrument panels for aircraft.

Solomon was an avid outdoorsman, author and mentor to many friends and family.

Solomon’s late wife, the former Mary Brennen, also served in the military during World War II as a nurse.

They had six children and four survive: Mary, Kathleen, Marty and Jim. John Francis and an infant child are both deceased.

Solomon also has nine grandchildren, Jimbo, Sr., Richard, Danielle, John, Paul, Brad, Marty, Shannon and Heather, and four nieces and nephews, Judy, Robert, Jack and Gray. There are eight great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren in Illinois, Florida, California and Ohio.

Solomon currently resides at Allay Senior Care, 131 Pendleton St., Lisbon, and would welcome visitors or cards on his birthday or at any time.

Recently, Solomon told his grandson Jimbo, “There have been times in my life when I couldn’t explain how things occurred … no matter how hard I tried to give a reason why, there wasn’t any other than the Lord doing it. So I just let it go. And I believe the Lord sent you here to look after me, Jimbo.”

Jimbo Solomon’s words about his grandfather are heartfelt. “It’s hard to keep my hat on with the excitement over this old guy. I was fatherless growing up but always had my dad, my grandpa!”

“I just admire him to the sky and back.”

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