Arthur Roy Price, Jr.

Arthur Roy Price Jr.

March 4, 1948 - March 22, 2025

On March 22, 2025, Arthur Roy Price Jr. was called home to his eternal life with The Lord in Heaven. Known to most as "Art", he was born in the New York City borough of Staten Island on March 4, 1948 to Arthur Roy Price Sr and Gertrude Evelyn Price. Art was the second of six children including the eldest Mary Lynn followed in order by Clark (Bud), Kathleen, Patrick and Timothy. Art was raised to love God, Family, Country and fishing. Life was not easy growing up as he and his family bounced from one tenement to another before eventually settling into the Stapleton housing projects. Art Sr worked as a police officer in the NYPD Marine and Aviation Division and multiple off duty jobs to provide for the family. Watching how hard his father worked instilled a work ethic in Art that served him, his family and his community well throughout his life. After graduating from Curtis High School in 1966, Art enlisted in the United States Army with the goal of becoming an aviator like his father before him. After basic training, Art went to Fort Walters in Mineral Wells, TX for Warrant Officer Candidate School and helicopter flight school. While there, he formed a bond of brotherhood with another east coast kid from Boston named Pat "Patsy" Leone. Although their paths would separate after flight school, they would be reunited more than twenty years later at Fort Walters during a Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association reunion and their friendship would endure to the visit Patsy paid Art on the day of his passing. After Fort Walters, Art went to "Mother" Rucker where he would train to be one of the first 100 Army Aviators qualified in the AH-1 Cobra Gunship. Once his training was complete, Art received his orders for Vietnam where he would join the storied 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, of the 1st Cavalry Division, or as he and brothers in arms called it the 1st of the 9th The Cav's Cav. Art arrived in Vietnam in January 1968 just in time for the start of the Tet Offensive where the 1/9 Cav fought at Khe Sanh and the Battle of Huế. When Tet was over, the 1/9 Cav had lost so many pilots that Art was promoted to Aircraft Commander at the age of 19. He was affectionately called "The Boy AC" by his Company Commander and by his callsign Saber Red-22. Art got 50 years of stories out of one hellish year in Vietnam escaping many close calls with death but finished his tour having never been shot down; a claim few pilots of that era could make. Much of his tour was spent with Dennis "Denny" Meredith flying in the front seat as the co-pilot of Art's Cobra named "Da Judge". Together they formed a bond that only men who have gone to war together can truly comprehend. Like Patsy, Art and Denny reunited later in life, and the last fishing trip Art ever made was with Denny where they spent the day enjoying each other's company and hauling in bull redfish.

After Vietnam, Art returned to Fort Walters to serve as an instructor pilot. While stationed there he lived in Fort Worth where he would meet an Iowa farm girl named Doris Delaine Henry who would steal his heart and help him to heal from the horrors of war. At the end of Art's enlistment, Doris accompanied Art on his return to Staten Island as his bride. After a few years in NYC and the birth of their first son Arthur Roy Price III, Art and Doris made the decision to move back to the Fort Worth area settling in the small suburb of Crowley. Once there, Art found work as a typesetter and added two more sons, Gregory Kenneth and Joseph Patrick, to the family. Art worked long hours during the day and put himself through college in the evenings on the GI Bill. Art first earned an Associate's Degree from Tarrant County Junior College and then a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Texas at Arlington where he graduated with honors and would go on to be recognized as a Distinguished Alumni. With degrees in hand, Art worked for a short time selling insurance before being hired as a buyer at General Dynamics where production of the F-16 Fighting Falcon was just underway. Over the course of a 30+ year career with GD (later Lockheed Martin), Art's hard work and dedication would serve him and his family well as he rose through the leadership ranks and eventually retired as the Director of Procurement for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program. Art worked long hours arriving early, staying late and working weekends all so he could be present in his family's life when it mattered. Art coached his sons' little league baseball and basketball teams. Later, he would be at every home or away football game and always the loudest fan in the crowd. As often as he could, he would take his sons fishing, and though he was often short on patience, he was always long on love and mentorship. Art's love for Doris and his sons was evident through his actions and the example he set as a devoted husband and father. Together he and Doris built a family on a foundation of faith in Jesus Christ surrounded by love and a commitment to honoring The Lord in all that they did. Together they watched their sons grow into men. In March of 1999, they watched their middle son Greg marry Julie Gourley. Together, Greg and Julie brought Art's first grandchildren, Jaci and Jordyn, into the world. Later they would see Art III marry Leslie Gruene adding their third granddaughter Kennedy Reed to the family.

On July 31, 2014, Art and Doris' journey together came to a tragic end when Doris lost her battle with pancreatic cancer. On that day, Doris received all the consolations and succor of heaven but left her beloved Art heartbroken. Over the next year, a young widowed woman from church named Kelly Orsak along with her children Ethan and Sydney brought love and comfort to Art, and over time a relationship formed between Kelly and Art's youngest son, Jody. In 2015 they were married fulfilling the hope that Art and Doris had for them both and bringing two more grandchildren into Art's life.

Prior to her passing, Doris told Art that he had been a good husband and encouraged him to find love again and to be a good husband to another deserving woman after she was gone. In 2015, Art found love again in Cindy Sue McGlasson, and they married the following year on May 14, 2016. Through this marriage Art added a stepdaughter, Bree Dutton, a stepson, Patrick Oliver, and his two grandsons Wells and Bauer Dutton. Later in 2016, Art saw the addition of his fourth granddaughter Lainey Price and then, in 2018, his fifth in Macall Dutton. Art and Cindy spent nine loving years together traveling throughout the United States and doting on their grandchildren.

In Art's time on this earth, he did his best to live by Christ's example and be an example of Christ's love as a husband, father and grandfather. Art is survived by his brother Clark "Bud" Price, his wife Micki and their children Christian and Casey Price and Kerry Ann Deckhut; his sister Kathleen Price and her sons Bobby, Mark and Danny Ivancich; his son Art Price III; son Greg Price, his wife Julie and their daughters Jaci and Jordyn; son Jody Price, his wife Kelly and their children Ethan Orsak, Sydney Orsak, and Lainey Price; his wife Cindy Sue Price; stepdaughter Bree Dutton her husband Jason and their children Wells, Bauer, and Macall Dutton, stepson Patrick Oliver; sister in law Diane Price and children Patrick and Andrew Price and Melanie (Price) Lovelace, niece Alyce Lynn Werner and her husband Evan; and his dear friends and honorary pallbearers Pat Leone, Dennis Meredith, Mitch Freeman, Scott Weathersby, Mike Keating, Steve Thomas, Dennis Diamond, and Howard Ludwig.

Art is preceded in death by his parents Arthur R. Price Sr and Evelyn Price; his beloved wife Doris Price; his sister and brother in law Mary Lynn and Ken Mainhart; his brothers Timothy and Patrick Price; his granddaughter Kennedy Reed, his niece Lauren Price, his friends Ronny Johnson and Claude "Bud" Freeman; and the warriors whose names can be found on the 1968 and 1969 panels of the Vietnam War Memorial in our nation's capital. Art had few regrets in life, but his greatest was that Saber Red-22 could save more of them from making the ultimate sacrifice to this great nation. Art called the years of his life after Vietnam "the bonus round", and he spent every day of the bonus round honoring those brave warriors by living a life well spent in continued service to God, Family and Country. Rest in peace Saber Red-22.

To hear Art's Vietnam War Diary in his own words, please visit https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.111484/#item-service_history

Service Details:

Funeral Service:

When: Monday, April 21, 2025 - Rosary at 10:00AM, Funeral Mass at 11:00AM

Location: Saint Ann Catholic Church

Address: 100 SW Alsbury Blvd, Burleson, TX 76028

Gravesite Service (Family and Veterans only please)

When: Monday, April 21, 2025 - 3:00PM (Assembly time 2:45PM)

Location: DFW National Cemetery

Address: 2000 Mountain Creek Pkwy, Dallas, TX 75211