ASHLAND Donald H. Putnam Jr., 87, died Thursday, June 24, 2010, in Kingsbrook Life Care Center. He was born July 3, 1922, a son of Donald H. and Hannah Russell Putnam. He was educated in the Ashland public schools and graduated from Ashland High School in 1940. He entered Washington & Lee University in September of 1940 and continued until entry into WWII as a member of the U.S. Army Air Force.
He served in the United Kingdom as a crew member on a B-24 Liberator Bomber. He flew on 35 missions as a waist gunner. After completing this tour he returned to the U.S. and continued training as a pilot until the end of the war, at which time he returned to W & L and finished his education earning a BS degree with a special attainment in Commerce in August of 1946.
At that time he started his employment with the Putnam Agency and was with the company through its 100th birthday celebration. Shortly thereafter, the company was purchased by Peoples Bancorp of Marietta, Ohio in 2004.
He served as past president of Kentucky Association of Insurance Agents and on the Ashland Board of Education for 8 years (Chairman for the last two years). He was a member of the Board of Managers of Kings Daughters Hospital and served 30 years on the Board of Kings Daughters Hospital, where he was the Chairman the last year. He was a member and chairman of Ashland Boyd County Airport Board and served on the board of the Tri-State Airport. He was a private pilot for many years and had a true love for flying.
He was past president of the Ashland Y.M.C.A. and chaired the drive to raise funds to build a new Y.M.C.A. He served as director of the Third National Bank of Ashland, past president of Ashland Rotary Club and past president of Bellefonte Country Club. He was designated Boss of the Year by the Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1970 and was a Kentucky Colonel. He was a UK Fellow and a member of the Society of Cincinnati. He loved to travel and had the opportunity to visit all seven continents.
He was preceded in death by a daughter, Laura Gaylord Putnam; a sister, Harriett Putnam Henry; and a brother, Louis.
He leaves behind his wife, Karlene; a daughter, Mary (Pierre) Cousineau of Salinas, Calif. and their children, Michael of Boulder, Colo., Jacqueline now residing in France and Adrienne of New York City; two sisters, Hannah Fox of Maryland and Betty (Walter) Huebner of San Antonio, Texas; a sister-in-law, Sally Putnam of Cincinnati, Ohio; a brother-in-law, Merton Henry of Portland, Maine; a step daughter, Tammy (Austin) Major and their children Becca and Austin III, all of San Juan Capistrano, Calif.; two step sons, Scott (Bonnie) Kaufmann and their children Phillip, Hayden and Kendall, all of Mt. Juliet, Tenn. and Jay (Diane) Hannah of Ashland and their sons Tom and Ben Hannah, all of Cincinnati, Ohio. He also leaves 15 nephews and nieces.
Funeral services will be at 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 29, 2010, at Calvary Episcopal Church in Ashland with the Rev. Jeff Queen and the Rev. Tina Mussetter officiating. Burial will be in Ashland Cemetery at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 30, 2010.
Friends may call from 3 p.m. to the service time Tuesday at the church.
In lieu of flowers, friends may make contributions to the Putnam Stadium Restoration Foundation, c/o Donna Suttle, 1520 Lexington Ave., Ashland, KY 41101 or to the Calvary Episcopal Memorial Endowment Fund, 1337 Winchester Ave., Ashland, KY 41101.
Steen Funeral Home - 13th Street Chapel in Ashland is in charge of arrangements.
Condolences may be made to steenfuneralhomes.com.
