Luther Masingill Buried with Honor and Respect

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) – It was a fitting final farewell Friday to a man who gave you goose bumps from the moment he signed on the air back in 1940.

When Luther suddenly passed away on October 20th, he wasn’t just a veteran broadcaster, he was a veteran of the United States Army.

Jeff Masingill, Luther’s son, says, "He was 20 when he fought and fought and still had to go to the big one … WWII."

Luther served in Papua New Guinea in the Signal Corps.

It was there he learned how to use the iconic Royal type writer; a tool that served the longest running broadcaster in the history of the world very well.

Joan Brown, Luther’s daughter, adds, "But for me, he was just my daddy."

Pastor Todd McElyea at Cornerstone Baptist Church, says, "2 Corinthians 5:8 tells us to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Today Luther is with the Lord."

Those words from Luther’s pastor made it hard for Luther’s family and co-workers to hold the tears back.

McElyea adds, "Remember hold on by faith in the fact that Luther is in heaven and one day those who trust Jesus as their Savior will be there as well."

With careful hands a guardsman handed Luther’s wife of 57 years a flag.

It was the same flag that draped his casket.

The guardsman, said, "On behalf of the President of the United States, United States Army, and grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation."

In the words of Luther .. Godspeed ol’ pal.