Harry ‘HAS’ A. Sheetz, 69, of Warsaw, Ind., passed away at 5:55 p.m. May 21, 2014, at Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne following a brief illness with Acute Leukemia (APL).

He was born to Morris and Kathryn (Baker) Sheetz on June 13, 1944, in Bremen, Ind. On June 14, 1974, he married Karen Downing.

He faithfully served his country in the United States Army as Spec 4 with the 524th Ordinance Company, 43rd Artillery during the Vietnam Conflict from 1965 to 1967. An avid aviator, Harry soloed on his 16th birthday. He loved flying and instructed hundreds of other pilots. He held a commercial flight rating with over 18,000 hours and retired from Depuy/Johnson & Johnson as a company pilot. An Army veteran, he was a member of American Legion Post #10 Marion, Ind., Experimental Aircraft Association and a ham radio operator.

Harry is survived by his wife of almost 40 years; son: Joel Downing, Warsaw; sister-in-law: Kimberly Perdiue, Warsaw; granddaughters: Brittany and Chelsey Shepherd; great-granddaughter: Alyiah Shepherd; two sisters: Marlene (Max) Evans, Syracuse, Ind. Carolyn (Thomas) Kuespert, Lafayette, Ind.; three brothers: James (Janice) Sheetz, Wisconsin; Michael (Dixie) Sheetz, Indianapolis, Ind.; Marshall Sheetz, Delong, Ind.; sister-in-law: Carol (George) Bachman, Shipshewana, Ind.; bother-in-law: Robert (Rosemary) Perdiue, Cary, N.C.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, May 26, in McHatton-Sadler Funeral Chapel 2290 Provident Ct., Warsaw, and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 27, at Warsaw Municipal Airport in the ML motor sports hanger on CR 300 in Warsaw. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 27, at the airport. Pastor Jack Worth will officiate. A private burial will be held at the Bremen Cemetery following the funeral.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Harry A. Sheetz Memorial Aviation Scholarship Fund, C/O McHatton-Sadler Funeral Chapel, 2290 Provident Ct., Warsaw, IN 46580

To sign the guestbook or send condolences electronically, go to the McHatton-Sadler Funeral Chapels website.