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Vladimir “Val” Vrzal was born October 10th, 1934, in Dedice, Czechoslovakia, to Raymond and Marie Kalousek Vrzal. He grew up in Czechoslovakia and served in the Czech military. Val married Anezka Groskova in 1956 and they had a daughter, Hana.

In 1957 he defected from Czechoslovakia and went to Germany to seek asylum. In 1958 he immigrated to the United States and was drafted into the US Air Force in 1960. On July 2,1960 he married Ruth Langner in Baltimore, Maryland, who he had met in Germany. Val spent most of his Air Force career in Cheyenne, Wyoming at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, where they had two children, Alex and Audrey.

After getting out of the service in 1964, he met Mr. Ralph Johnson in Cheyenne Wyoming.  Mr. Johnson had a flying service at the old military air base called Ralco, in Bainbridge GA. Mr. Johnson offered Val a job in Bainbridge.  Ralco converted World War II PV-2 torpedo bombers into spraying planes. They contracted with the Government in different states to spray for fire ants, mosquitoes, spruce bud worms, grasshoppers, forest fires, etc. Val traveled all over the United States but mostly the southern states, western states and up north as far as Maine. These Government contracts were flown in the spring and fall.  In the winter months Val did maintenance on the airplanes.

After Ralco dissolved in the early 1970’s, Val took a job with Ayres Corporation in Albany, GA. This company built and sold Turbo Thrushes crop dusting Airplanes all over the world. He was hired as Technical Advisor and traveled to many countries like Iran, Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Costa Rica, Belize and Honduras. After he left Ayres Corporation he went into business for himself as a traveling airplane mechanic. He served his customers out of his van until he was able to buy his own hanger in 1989 at the Industrial Park in Bainbridge and called it, Aircraft International. He was the most knowledgeable mechanic for crop dusting airplanes in this region and ran his business successfully until his health started to fail him.

Val was quite the character. He loved airplanes and was very meticulous when it came to his work. It was his way or no way. He was very hard headed and stubborn. He knew all the crop dusters around and they knew him or heard stories about him. He spent all his time at the airport and loved to “b.s.” with all his customers and friends. He had a heavy accent and people always asked him where he was from and he loved to make up colorful stories about who he was. On the outside he had a rough and tuff personality but deep down had a soft heart and occasionally, if you were lucky, you got to witness his soft side.

Val Vrzal is survived by his wife of 64 years, Ruth Vrzal of Bainbridge, GA,; his daughters, Audrey Vrzal, of Bainbridge, GA, and Hana Belohradova-Towns and husband Paul Towns of Bainbridge; grand-children, David Belohrad and his wife Barbara, of Moens, France, and Radim Belohrad and his wife Irena, of Kunovice, Czech Republic; great-grandchildren, Alzbeta and Eliska Belohradova of Kunovice, Czech Republic and Erik and David Jr. of Moen France;  a special niece, Marie Vavrova of Plzen, Czech Republic; and nephew and niece, Jirka and Mirka of Tabor, Czech Republic.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Marie Vrzal of Tabor, Czech Republic; sister, Drahomira Capkova of Tabor, Czech Republic; and son, Alex Vrzal (1988) of Bainbridge.

There will be no visitation or funeral. Later the family will have a Celebration of Life service to honor his memory.

The family would like to thank GA Hospice Care and especially, Kim Boyles, Danny Stevens and Tamesha Hines, for taking such special care of Val. He was not always the easiest patient to deal with. LOL.

On-line condolences may be sent at www.Coxiveyfuneralhome.com.  Cox-Ivey Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.