Henry Lee Sweezy, 93, of Chapel Hill, NC, died July 28, 2012, in Chapel Hill. He was born in Quapaw, Oklahoma, in 1919, and graduated from Oklahoma A & M (now Oklahoma State University). He married Marjorie Black, also an Oklahoma State graduate, in 1943, and raised two children, Patricia and Donald, in Kansas City, MO; Omaha, NE; St. Louis, MO; McLean, VA; Tenafly, NJ; and Chapel Hill, NC.

Henry pursued a career in the airline industry, including Capital, Mid-West, Ozark, and Eastern airlines, and with the Civil Aeronautics Board, in positions ranging from Baggage Handler to Vice President. He developed processes and instructed employees in innovative procedures for airline operations. His airline responsibilities also included planning and establishing routes and schedules, pricing, and relations with regulatory agencies. In 1968, Henry shifted to analysis and consulting for the airline industry, working with Systems Analysis and Research Corporation, and R. Dixon Speas Associates, both in Washington, DC. In 1980, Henry joined The Aviation Group (TAG), as Vice President, based in Chapel Hill, NC. At TAG he was instrumental in the launch of United Parcel Service’s air cargo operations. Throughout his life, Henry was an active participant in church and community activities. He taught Sunday school and served on numerous church boards and committees wherever the Sweezy family lived. After his retirement in 1986, he also joined the Golden K Kiwanis Club of Chapel Hill.

He was most recently a member of Ephesus Baptist Church in Chapel Hill, where he was a Sunday School teacher, deacon, and chair of several church committees. Henry was also an avid traveler. Over the course of his career, he enjoyed exotic consulting trips to Ethiopia, Brazil, the Azores, Nigeria, the south seas, and Jamaica. He toured the Holy Land and Egypt, and with Marjorie (and sometimes their two children), visited England, France, Spain, and Denmark. He took pride in having visited all 50 U.S. states (with the exception of North Dakota). An accomplished amateur photographer, he enjoyed sharing the many slides he brought back from his travels with friends, relatives, and his children’s school classes. He also enjoyed tracing the genealogy of the Sweezy family.

Henry’s parents were Alva Gerald Sweezy and Grace Sweetland Sweezy, and he had one brother, Eldon Eugene Sweezy. He is survived by his daughter, Patricia Ann Taylor and David, her husband, of Middletown, DE; son, Donald Henry Sweezy and Susan, his wife, of Chapel Hill, NC; grandsons, Michael Taylor and his wife Anette; Joseph Taylor and his wife April; Benjamin Sweezy; and Keith Sweezy.

After 64 years of marriage, Marjorie passed away in 2007. Henry later married Joyce Crabtree, of Durham, NC, now also deceased. He will also be remembered by Joyce’s children, Darryl Crabtree, Dwayne Crabtree, and Steve Crabtree.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. August 4, 2012 at Ephesus Baptist Church, 2015 Ephesus Church Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27517.

There will be a visitation hour at the church before the service, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

Memorial donations may be made to Ephesus Baptist Church, 2025 Ephesus Church Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27517; the Christian Appalachian Project, P.O. Box 55911, Lexington, KY 40555; Durham Rescue Mission, P.O. Box 11368, Durham, NC 27703; or Chad: The Heart of Africa, PO Box 11150, Spring, TX 77379.

The Sweezy family is under the care of Howerton & Bryan Funeral Home.

Online condolences may be submitted at www.howertonbryan.com Select obituaries.