CWO-5 Neil R. (Ron) McGahen, Jr. (US Army Ret.)

Services for US Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Neil R. McGahen, Jr., 59, will be held Saturday, October 28, 2017 at 1:00PM at Rose-Neath's Bossier Chapel, 2201 Airline Drive. Interment will follow at the Rose-Neath Cemetery at 5185 Swan Lake Road, with full military honors. Visitation will be held from 12 Noon-12:45PM at the Chapel location. Ron was born December 20, 1957 in Shreveport, grew-up in Bossier City, and resided in Friendswood, Texas in recent years. He suddenly entered into rest on Saturday, October 21. Ron truly loved to fly. He proudly served for over 27 years in the United States Army and was an Apache helicopter pilot for his entire career. After his Army retirement, he safely flew offshore crews to Gulf of Mexico platform locations for Era Helicopters of Houma, Louisiana. A 1975 graduate of Airline High School, Ron attended LSU-Shreveport and, later, Louisiana Tech University - where he participated in the Aviation program. He then joined the US Army and began a career journey which took him to several corners of the globe. CWO-5 McGahen deeply loved his country and flew combat missions in Kuwait, Iraq, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. Over the course of his exemplary career, he earned many awards including 3 Bronze Star Medals for heroic or meritorious achievement. Like his father, Ron was also a proud Mason in the Shreveport area. Though service to his country kept him away from home at times, Ron cherished time spent with his family. As his friends and family know, Ron particularly enjoyed the challenge of solving most any engine-related mechanical problem. Ron looked forward to annual family visits to spend time outdoors with his McGahen relatives in the Erie, Pennsylvania area. Ron was preceded in death by his father, USAF Ret. Master Sergeant Neil R. McGahen, Sr. of Bossier City, Louisiana. Survivors include his mother, Verda McGahen Moore of Bossier City, his sister, Linda M. Baldelli of The Woodlands, Texas, and his two children, Michael McGahen of Friendswood, Texas and Christine McGahen of LaPorte, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children, 3100 Samford Avenue, Shreveport, LA 71103.