Donnal F. "Don" Muzny

Donnal F. “Don” Muzny passed away on Sunday, May 24, 2015, in San Antonio, TX at the age of 91. He was born in Prague, OK to Albert and Sylvia (Duzi) Muzny on August 14, 1923. After graduating Prague High School in 1941, Don worked at the Muzny Garage in Prague until he enlisted as a Navy Aviation Cadet in 1942. He attended the University of Texas, University of Georgia, University of Central Oklahoma (Wiley Post Field) and University of Iowa. Don was assigned to Naval Air Station (NAS) Corpus Christi, TX where he completed F4U Corsair flight training and NAS Jacksonville, FL for carrier landing training on the USS Guadalcanal. Tours of Duty included: Fighter Bomber Squadron One Hundred, NAS Barbers Point, HI; NAS Awase, Okinawa and NAS Yonabaru, Okinawa where he served as a fighter pilot, assistant operations officer and test pilot. He was released from active duty and transferred to the active reserve in November 1946. Don returned to Prague and continued to serve in the active reserve in various assignments while owner of the Prague Buick dealership. In 1949, he received standby notice for Korea and sold the dealership in preparation for deployment. Not activated, Don went to work as an engineer for Oilwell Supply (now known as National Oilwell Varco) in Seminole, OK. He was quickly promoted and transferred to New Orleans, LA to assemble and maintain rigs both on and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1954, he was transferred to Maracaibo, Venezuela in support of petroleum operations. Don became a Manager for US Steel International [parent company of Oilwell Supply] and transferred to Bogota, Colombia in 1959. As Manager, his responsibilities included South America, Central America and the West Indies for all petroleum, pumps, pipelines and specialty steel products. Lt Muzny was released from the USNR in 1960. Due to increased petroleum drilling activity of PEMEX, he was transferred to Mexico City in 1965. His engineering projects included off shore rigs in Lake Maracaibo, pumping limestone slurry in Colombia, helicopter rigs dropped into the Amazon in Brazil and Peru, mining in Bolivia and Chile, rigs in Argentina and Punta Arenas, and in Mexico. He also helped with development of the new concept of aluminum beer cans. In 1971, he was again transferred to Houston, TX where, upon completion of 35 years with US Steel International, he retired out of the Tulsa office in 1984. Upon retirement he and wife, Billie traveled extensively in Europe, the Holy Lands, Middle East, North Africa and China. They were very active in their Square and Ballroom dancing clubs in south Texas. Don and Billie also took several genealogy research trips to the Czech Republic and Germany. Don was active in the Czech Heritage Society in San Antonio always researching his ancestors, who fled the revolution and Austrian persecution of Bohemia, Moravia and Silisia (Czech lands). Landing in Galveston on a schooner, these pioneers were among the early immigrants to Texas in the mid 1800’s settling around Shiner, Caldwell and Gonzalez, TX. Don liked to tell stories of other Czech immigrants such as William Paca of Maryland, signer of the Declaration of Independence; Dr. Anthony Michael Dignowity, first Texas-Czech citizen; the Czechs in Sam Houston’s army; and the Painted Churches of Texas, especially the ones in Dubina, High Hill, Praha and Ammannsville. Don was a life member of the American Legion and was a founding member of the VFW in Donna, TX. He is preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Billie Heinzig Muzny, his adopted son, Michael Don, his parents, Albert and Sylvia Muzny and his brother, Leroy Muzny. Don is survived by his daughter, COL(R) Marylin Muzny of San Antonio and sisters and brothers-in-law, Donna Heinzig Smith and Hubert, Alice Heinzig Largent and Buddy and Joyce Muzny of Prague and numerous nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2015 at 11:00 AM, at Parks Brothers Funeral Chapel in Prague with Rev. Derrek Belase officiating. Interment will follow at Prague Cemetery. Expressions of sympathy may be made in Don's honor to the charity of your choosing. Services are under the direction of Parks Brothers Funeral Service in Prague. A guest book is available to share your memories on-line. Please visit www.ParksBrothers.net