Cecil Davis Ewell, Jr. of Frisco, Texas passed away on March 13, 2020 at the age of 80. He was born on December 25, 1939 to Cecil Davis Ewell, Sr. and Loreen (Davis) Ewell in Los Angeles, California. Cecil went to high school in Nashville, Tennessee, where he played both baseball and football. He graduated from the University of Florida (Gators), where he played football through college. He completed the pre-med program with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and was accepted in medical school. Just before his senior year of college he was at home with his parents and saw a man flying a J-3 Cub and he stopped to talk to him. That was where the love of aviation took hold of him. Cecil earned his private ticket and had about 100 hours of flight time. His pre med plans changed one day at the beach in Jacksonville, Florida when he saw the Blue Angels. Cecil left the beach that day still in his swim trunks, went to NAS JAX and enlisted. He earned his wings in 1965 in Beeville, Texas and joined his squadron VF-154. During his five years of active duty in the Navy, he flew two combat cruises on the USS Coral Sea and USS Ranger with about 150 missions over Southeast Asia.
Cecil met his wife, Roddah (Hyde) Ewell, while he was still in the Navy and they married on March 11, 1966. They had a wonderful marriage and the love they shared for each other was evident to anyone that saw them together. They enjoyed many adventures traveling around the world and creating memories together. They had one son, Brad, who got to enjoy many of these adventures with them. Cecil was an amazing and loving father who took a lot of time to spend with his son. They rode horses, hunted, hiked, and had a great time together. He taught his son so much about life and how to be a man, Brad will always cherish that.
Cecil has been described by almost everyone that has met him as larger than life, and I really cannot think of a better description. He had a booming voice and commanding presence that just filled whatever space he was in and he was just plain fun to be around. He was always ready with a joke even at his own expense to keep everyone laughing. Cecil was also an extremely kind and giving man that would not hesitate to help anyone in need. Following his active duty in the Navy, he was hired by American Airlines. During his 31 years, he progressed through the ranks from Engineer to Copilot, Captain, Chief Pilot, and eventually to Vice President of Flight Operations. Cecil was also a wonderful grandfather to his three grandchildren. He would take them to do tons of things and never seemed to run out of energy to do things with them. After retiring from American Airlines, he continued to fly in several volunteer operations including flying cancer patients to MD Anderson and delivering supplies to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. He also enjoyed speaking at the Union Gospel Mission in Dallas. He was a man that was admired by so many people; the world seems a little less without him in it. We all hope to carry on the great traditions and qualities he showed us in his life.
Cecil is survived by his wife of 54 years, Roddah Ewell of Frisco, Texas; son, Brad Ewell and wife, Pam of McKinney, Texas; grandchildren, Josie, Joy and Jayson.
He is preceded in death by his parents and brother, John Ewell.
A funeral service will be held at 12:00 p.m., Friday, March 20, 2020 at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home Chapel, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas 75013. Interment will follow at Ridgeview Memorial Park in Allen. The family will receive friends during a visitation on Thursday from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made in Cecil’s honor to the Union Gospel Mission in Dallas, https://donate.ugmdallas.org.
To view a video of the funeral service, please click the link below: