Bruce Ehly

The TxDOT Aviation family lost a friend and former colleague with the passing of Bruce Ehly on Aug. 15, 2016. Following his retirement from Bergstrom Air Force Base in 1989, Bruce was an airport planner in TxDOT’s Aviation Division. He retired from TxDOT in 2007. Bruce was a well respected member of the planning and programing section where he worked with many of the state’s larger general aviation airports including many relievers.

Bruce came to the Aviation Division after a distinguished 27-year Air Force career piloting C-130, C-140 and T-39s and which took him to six continents. His numerous medals included the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Meritorious Service Medal with 2 bronze oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal with 3 bronze oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal with 2 bronze oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor and 4 bronze oak leaf clusters, the Vietnam Service Medal with 2 bronze oak leaf clusters, and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm.

Bruce married Theresa Joyce “Joy” Guillory on July 3, 1970. They had met in 1968 when he was a C-130 special operations pilot with the 7th SOS at Ramstein AB, Germany. Joy was a caseworker with American Red Cross at Landstuhl Army Medical Center following her year at the 3rd Field Hospital in Saigon. Their only child, Jennifer, was born at the same Landstuhl hospital in 1971.