Memorial Today for Samuel R. Cessna, O.C. Entrepreneur
Friends and family will gather today to remember Samuel Roger Cessna, the founder of Info Products International and a decorated World War II veteran.
Cessna, who was also known for his tennis skills, died Monday from lung cancer. He was 72.
He was the son of Samuel O. Cessna, one of the founders of Cessna Aircraft Inc., and flying was a lifelong love, said his son, Mark Cessna. “It kind of runs in the family,” he added.
Cessna’s interest in planes led him to a career as a B-24 bomber pilot with the Army Air Corps during World War II. He retired as a major in the U.S. Air Force and maintained an active interest in organizing reunions for the 451st Bombardment Group. He flew 25 missions over Europe before his plane was shot down over Yugoslavia, and he was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Cessna graduated from Michigan State University in 1947 with a degree in mechanical engineering. During his time there, he was ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten Conference for tennis and he remained an active amateur tennis player.
He went on to start Info Products International in Santa Ana in 1972. He then sold his interest in the firm and started A2Z Computer Supplies in Orange in 1977.
Family friends will remember him for “taking in strays--whether human or not,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Chris Evans, a longtime family friend. “The key to this guy was his compassion and his open warmth for humanity. . . .
“He was a quiet person but he was so incredibly compassionate and openly warm to everyone he met that he was a standout,” Evans said. “His house always attracted teen-agers, and he was a father to all of them.”
In addition to his son Mark, 42, of Orange, he is survived by his wife, Mary Kathleen Griffith; his son Craig Cessna, 40, of Placentia, and his daughter, Lynne Cessna, 37, of Fullerton.
The honor guard from March Air Force Base will participate in private burial ceremonies at Westminster Memorial Park this morning.
A public memorial service will begin at 4 p.m. at the Orange Covenant Church, 250 S. Prospect St., Orange.
