Home of Pan American World Airways Retired Pilots and Employees

William “Bill” Thomas Ray passed away on November 14, 2019 at the age of 93 after a long battle with dementia. Bill was born in Chapel Hill, NC to William Oscar Ray and Maggie Woods Ray. He attended Chapel Hill High School and went on to attend North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC, graduating with a degree in architectural engineering. While at NCSU he joined the Air Force ROTC, was an active member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, and was president of the Beaux Arts Society. After graduation from NAI, he was given a chance to fulfill his dream of flying when he was hired by Pan American World Airways as a Flight Engineer. The first aircraft he flew was a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser; Bill flew many different aircraft while employed at Pan Am including the DC-6, DC-8, B707, B747, and B747-SP. He soon became a Check Flight Engineer and an instructor, but was always the happiest in the cockpit of a jet. In his nearly 33 years with Pan Am he had the opportunity to see the world and meet many interesting people. He loved to tell stories of meeting many of his flying heroes like Charles A. Lindbergh, Pappy Boyington, Chuck Yaeger, and Jimmy Doolittle.  READ MORE >>>

Lyman A. Slack, Jr, 85, passed away in Gainesville, Fl. on December 25th, 2019. After graduating from The Ohio State University, he entered active duty in the United States Air Force. Earning his pilot wings he was assigned to the Strategic Air Command, where he flew B47’s and B52’s. He proudly served for 10 years. Lyman considered himself a legacy of sorts of Pan Am, his first contact being during WWII when his father was project manager for Pan Am’s Airport Development Program, building three airports. His next connection with Pan Am was as a teenager where he competed and won several awards flying in the PAA LOAD competition. The event was a promotion by Pan Am for Clipper cargo. Joining Pan American World Airways in 1966 he continued his flying career for the next 25 years, and was flying the 747 out of Miami when Pan Am ceased operations. In retirement he continued with his lifelong hobby of building and flying model aircraft. Lyman is survived by his wife Marilyn, two children from a previous marriage, his son Dr. Dean Slack and wife Victoria of Naples, Fl. and Stamford Ct. and his daughter Dr. Dawn Slack of Bowers, Pa.

Paul T. Keeslar passed away on Sept. 8, 2019 in San Leandro, CA at age 80.  He was born June 8, 1939 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Agneta, their three children – Lisa, Erik and Tor, and their three grandchildren – Nina, Olivia, and Stella.

A career airline pilot, he earned his pilot wings in the US Navy and flew as a Naval Aviator briefly onboard P-2V Neptunes and ultimately onboard P-3 Orions before retiring as a commander in the Naval Reserves. After leaving active duty in the ’60 he became a commercial airline pilot flying first with Pan American World Airways and then United Airlines.  Over the next 35 years, he qualified on nearly all the commercial aircraft of the day, helped write pilot training publications in the 70’s and 80’s, served as a check pilot in the ‘90s, and ultimately rose to Captain of the Boing 747-400 before retiring. READ MORE >>>

Pan Am Captain Elbert “Doc” Strange passed away on November 19, 2019 at 91 years old. He was well-known in the aircraft maintenance early days of the 707. Doc was a likable, knowledgeable legend. He later moved to flight operations as a Pan Am Captain on the 747. He then went on to learn about the new jets and then to pilot the Boeing 707 first to those European destinations and then everywhere else on the globe. He routinely traveled to distant destinations such as Buenos Aires, Argentina; Tokyo, Japan; Tehran, Iran; Bahrain, Saudi Arabia; Bombay (Mumbai) India as well as most larger cities in Europe. As time progressed with new developments in aviation, he then moved on to flying the Boeing 747SP to all of those destinations non-stop. READ MORE >>>

Romanas “Hugie” Ugianskis was born August 19, 1931 and passed away November 16, 2019. He served many roles in his life – husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, combat veteran, commercial pilot. He proudly served his adopted country for 30 years, retiring as an Air Force Lieutenant Colonel. He died peacefully and will be forever missed by his family and friends.

Wm Harvey Benefield, “slipped the surly bonds of earth” with his family by his side on November 18, 2019.

Harvey was born in New Orleans, LA on August 20, 1933 to the late Hartford Odell and Anna Stanley Benefield. The family later moved to Miami during his elementary school years. He graduated from Miami Senior High (51) and received his BS Civil Engineer degree from University of Miami. It was there that he met and later married the beautiful Janet Chadwick. After college, he joined the Navy, becoming a Naval Aviator.

After almost 8 years, enjoying Naval life he moved on to Pan American World Airways until retirement as a B747 Captain. Harvey was proud of the fact that he qualified in a series of aircraft from the DC3 to the B747.  READ MORE >>>

Duyane Alan ‘Dewey’ Hoffman  – February 24, 1920 – October 30, 2019 (Died @ age 99 years – 4 months shy of 100 years) Apopka, FL Dewey joined Pan American Airways in 1942 making military trips during WW II transporting military supplies & helping train Navy pilots. In the 36 years flying mostly as Captain he flew many various airplanes from the B-314 flying boats to retiring in 1978 as a 747 Captain. During these years he was based in N.Y. Miami & Rio flying the Caribbean & East Coast of South America. When stationed in Brownsville he flew south through Mexico & Central America where he was introduced to orchids in 1949. Transferring back to N.Y., he flew many trips along the West coast of Africa to Johannesburg, throughout Europe & as Far East as Bangkok, Thailand. His family & friends enjoyed the many accounts & adventures of all of the places he traveled.  READ MORE >>>

Don Drennan was peacefully taken to Heaven on October 3rd, 2019 by the grace of God he was surrounded by his 3 loving children (John, Carol, and Julie), many of his grandchildren, as well as his wife Joan. Don served in the United States Navy as a carrier pilot and later flew as a commercial pilot. He was a dedicated member of Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church and was deeply involved with Boy Scout Troop 212. In addition, he was on the Camp Timberwolf Board for 25 years and served as the President of the Board for 14 years. He was instrumental in leading the efforts to make vast improvements at the camp in order to make it the “Home of Troop 212”. He also volunteered with inner city youth organizations in Oakland to develop camping programs for disadvantaged youths. He was an avid sailor and friend to all who knew him.

 

Monroe “Miles” Burnett, most beloved husband and father, passed away peacefully June 26th at the age of 79. He was a remarkable and much loved man, and the best husband, father and brother anyone could hope to have. Miles served in the Navy from 1963 to 1968 as a Lieutenant flying the P2V Neptune for the VP-21 squadron. Upon his honorable discharge he accepted a position flying for Pan American Airways out of San Francisco until he was Miles was furloughed due to Pan Am’s cutbacks. Now living in Hayward, Calif., he worked as a Trust Officer for Bank of America. He attended night school during this time and obtained his law degree – Passing the California Bar Exam on his first attempt. He fulfilled his passion for flying by flying his family on short trips through the Napa Valley on weekends.

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Retired Pan Am/Delta pilot Lt. Colonel Daryl Gene Hubbard, passed away on August 29, 2019 at age 83. Lt. Col. Hubbard joined Pan American 05-08-1967 and retired with Delta Air Lines, S/O based ATL/031. Lt. Col. Hubbard’s first wife Faith passed in 1997. He is survived by his children and his wife Rev. Connie Murray Ichord plus many other family members.

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Donald Hyatt passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving wife and friends on Thursday, July 25th, 2019 at Renown Medical Center in Reno. He was 83 years old. Don was born in New Jersey in 1935 to Dr. Herbert and Mae Hyatt. He grew up in Boise, Idaho and attended Boise High School, University of Oregon and graduated from Arizona State University. Don then joined the Air Force and became a fighter pilot; flying F-100’s and F-104’s. After his tour of duty in Vietnam, he went to work flying for Pan American World Airways in 1966. While employed with Pan Am, he met the love of his life, Ellie Macher-Ryan on Christmas Eve in Tokyo, Japan. They were married in 1973. After the demise of Pan Am, Don flew for Korean Airlines and retired in 1996. Don was an avid outdoorsman. He loved to fly fish, bird hunt, ski, and hike. Don called Truckee home for 46 years.

Robert C. Preston, a 35 year veteran of Pan American, died on Tuesday, July 16, 2019. He was 93 years old and is survived by his spouse and three children. He spent the bulk of his career as a flight engineer in the IGS before transitioning to the 747 and being based in New York and Miami.

Robert N. Bacon, long time resident of Largo, passed away on August 2, 2019. He was born in Baltimore, MD on February 2, 1936. He was a U.S. Marine fighter pilot, where he flew F-8 Crusader among other jets. After 20 years of honorable service, he retired as a reserve Major. In June 1961, he graduated from University of Maryland with an electrical engineering degree. He worked for Black and Decker for 5 years until returning to the skies in 1965, as an airline pilot with Pan Am and subsequently transitioned to United Airlines in 1992, where he flew for another 6 years before retiring. In 1982, he and his beloved wife relocated to Largo, FL, where they enjoyed many happy years together with family and friends. Bob was the beloved husband of the late Mary Rose (nee Riley) of 50 years and a devoted loving father of Elizabeth (Joel) Van Blaricom, Mary (Harry) Matossian, Bob Jr., Patty (David) Klop. He has 6 grandchildren and 1 great grandson, who cherish him. An avid reader of novels and current events, Bob also enjoyed crossword puzzles, model trains, playing tennis, listening to music, and traveling the country by train. A traveling connoisseur, he traveled the country and world several times over. Visitation begins at 1 pm with a service at 2 pm on Friday, August 9, 2019 at Hubbell Funeral, (727) 584-7671, www.hubellfuneralhome.com

 Warren C. Kepner of Columbus, N.J. passed away Friday, July 26, 2019, at his home. He was 95. Born near Harrisburg, Pa., Warren joined the U.S. Air Force at the beginning of World War II at the age of 19. He flew 52 missions in a B-17 Bomber as a top turret gunner. Warren was a veteran of three wars, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. He remained in the Air Force for 22 years, retiring as a Master Sergeant in 1969. He then went to work for Pan American World Airways as a flight instructor until he retired in 1989.

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Maurice “Morie” Turner Legare passed away on July 12, 2019 at the age of 86. He was born on March 20, 1933. Morie attended Whitworth College, Spokane, Washington, where he participated heavily in the Young Life ministry, and excelled in sports and academia, graduating in 1955. After graduation from Whitworth, he joined the U.S. Navy, went to flight school, and became a Naval Aviator. He was a combat helicopter pilot in Vietnam, and in 1966, was appointed Officer in Charge of Search and Rescue Detachment 5, and flew missions from the USS King (DLG-51). He and his men (dubbed “Legare’s Bears”) participated in many heroic rescues, but one memory he often shared was when he and his crew made two water rescues of F-105 pilots who were hit over North Vietnam, and managed to ditch or parachute into the Tonkin Gulf. It was an important and historic event, which is recorded in the operational history of the USS King. For this and other feats, Morie earned the Air Medal, the Vietnam Service and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, along with the National Defense Service Medal. He earned the rank of Lieutenant Commander, and served in the Navy for 10 years. After his military career, Morie served as a Flight Engineer (FE) for Pan American World Airways from 1967-1991. His family loved hearing about the many adventures, life-saving calculations, and narrow landing victories Morie experienced in that role. When Pan Am was sold to Delta Airlines in 1991, Morie was able to transfer to Delta, and was a senior FE until his retirement in 2002.

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William James Lee Bradley III, 99, died April 15, 2019 at home in Acton, Massachusetts. From 1940 to 1980, Bill worked for Pan American World Airways, including seven years as a Flight Engineer on the Boeing Clipper B-314. He did his foreign service in Lisbon, Portugal and was on hand to help with the rescue of passengers after the crash of the Yankee Clipper. On return he was assigned to LaGuardia and flight as a flight engineer. He was sworn into the Navy and served as part of the Naval Air Transport Service. He stopped flying in 1947 and went to ground service. He and his wife, Eleanor, were married for 66 years. He is survived by his three children, seven granddaughters and ten great-grandchildren. His lasting legacy is that he instilled in us all the love of travel. 

Don Giddens passed away in May, 2019. His birthday was August 27,1934. He was an Air Force pilot before he joined Pan Am in May 1967 and was based in San Francisco. Furloughed in the early 1970’s he returned to Pan Am and flew as a co-pilot on the A-310 when he went to Delta Airlines. I met Don when he was a 707 Flight Engineer and we became friends as he lived in Danville, CA and I lived in Walnut Creek. He is predeceased by his wife of many years, Donna. Funeral services will be at the Military cemetery at Dixon, CA on July 15th.

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Dwight Wygant died in April, 2019. He proudly flew for Pan Am for 32 years starting as a Navigator on the DC6 in New York and retiring a Captain on the 747 in SFO. We are grateful he was able to celebrate his 90th birthday with his loving wife and family. He will be missed by them and his many friends.

Jim Foley passed on Feb. 3, 2019. He was 88 years old. Raised in San Mateo, California, he served as a Navy pilot during the Korean War. After retiring from the Navy in 1957, Jim flew international passenger aircraft for Pan American Airways, and after these routes were sold to United, he flew those routes for them. When the Boeing 747 was brought into service, Jim piloted 747s until his retirement. He also served as a flight instructor for Pan Am. In a profession of commercial pilots who are highly professional, he was known as an exceptionally outstanding, skilled and careful pilot.  

David C. Walchli passed away at his home March 1, 2019.  He was born in Cleveland, Ohio and lived in Novato, California for the past 60 years.  He was 87 years old.  He graduated from the University of Michigan with a business degree.   He was a pilot at Pan American for 25 years and went over to United when Pan Am sold their Pacific Division.  He loved his flying career including his experience as a fighter pilot with the USAF.  He also enjoyed flying his Piper Cherokee mostly in California and the west coast.  He is missed by his wife, Gloria, 3 children, 9 grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild.

Harold “Pat” Weldon Webber, 92 of Antrim, died peacefully, in the presence of his loving family, at his home in Antrim on March 30, 2019. He was born in Bay Shore, NY on August 27, 1926, the son of Alexander and Grace (Weldon) Webber. Pat was raised in Amityville, NY and attended St. Martin of Tours grade school and graduated from Bishop Laughlin High School in Brooklyn, NY. As a teenager, Pat’s brothers taught him to fly. His first solo flight was at 15 years old. He served in Air Force during both World War II and the Korean War. He was a skilled aircraft mechanic and pilot graduating from the Roosevelt Aviation School in Mineola, NY in 1947. He would put these skills to excellent use, enjoying a 39 year career with Pan American Airlines as a Pilot and Flight Engineer. He and his crew took part in the evacuation of the Embassy personnel from Iran and Beirut in the late 1970’s and he was part of the crew that flew the Beatles to America in 1964.  READ MORE >>>

Ralph G. Larson, 81, of Morrisville died very peacefully at his home on Friday, Feb. 15, 2019.  He was born in Chicago June 11, 1937, son of Ralph G. Larson and Eunice Von Hamberger Larson. He graduated from Barrington High School and attended the University of Illinois, earning a bachelor’s of science in geology and the nickname of “Nerd” from his Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He joined the Navy and became a fighter pilot, flying A4s off the USS Constellation. 1965 was a big year for Ralph. He left the Navy, was hired as a pilot by Pan Am Airlines, and married Janet Kay Reeves, whom he had known since their college days. The couple moved to Stowe in 1971, from where he commuted to and from his Pan Am base at JFK Airport, and Janet began a long career at Stowe Elementary School.

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Oscar Douglas, a seasoned and accomplished pilot, he continued his love of flying well beyond his tenure as 747 Captain for Pan Am. In a sixty year span, Oscar spent more than 20,000 hours in the air, and he crossed the Atlantic Ocean 500 times, the Pacific Ocean 200 times, and the equator 100 times. Some say he could tell you the type of plane flying overhead just by the sound of its engine. A faithful and loved member of Elkins Lake Baptist Church, Oscar (“Doug”) served as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, and audio controller. He taught Bible at the Gulf Coast Trade Center, he volunteered in local prison ministries, and he distributed hundreds of Bibles as a member of Gideons International.

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Retired Captain Bruce V. Leach has flown west.  On Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. there will be a Funeral Mass followed by a reception in the Social Hall, Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 30525 8th Ave. S., Federal Way, Wa. 98003.

Tom Godber, dear husband, father, and grandfather, passed away on March 30th, 2018. He suffered a head injury when he slipped on the ice during one of his daily walks along the Mississippi, and never recuperated. He died at home in hospice, surrounded by people who love and adore him. We will forever miss his generous heart, smiling eyes, and never-ending optimism. He was 81 years old. Tom was born in Philadelphia on February 19th, 1937. Wherever he traveled in life, he collected dear friends who were drawn to his kindness and contagious joy of life. He graduated as Class President from Lower Merion High School before becoming a Navy Jet Pilot. For the majority of his career he worked as an Airline Captain for Pan Am, based primarily in Berlin, Germany, and later for Delta Airlines, based in NYC. He retired in Minnesota where he lavished attention on his grandchildren on a daily basis. He is survived by wife Ellen, children Erik (Kim) and Yvonne (Derk), grandchildren (Niko and Kaia), sister Bobbie and close friends and family members. Fly west, sweet G-Pa. You mean the world to us. A reception will be held in Minneapolis in late April. Memorials may be made to Friends of the Mississippi River. 

John Greeley Howe, 83, of Lake Monticello, passed away on Saturday, March 16, 2019, at his home. He was born on January 26, 1936, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, son of the late Caryl Greeley Howe and Miriam Shugg (Anthony) Howe. John was a retired airline pilot, having flown with Pan American Airlines for over 20 years. He was a Vietnam War Veteran, having served his country in the United States Air Force.

 

 

Albert “Al” Merone, of Bronxville, passed away on April 3, 2019. Beloved husband of Dianne P. Merone. Loving father of Al Jr., Loriane (Lou) Zaccardi and Marissa (Jake) Szczepanski. Cherished Papa to 9 grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Eugene. After proudly flying B-29s in the US. Air Force during the Korean War, Al went on to have a 30 year career as a Captain for Pan American World Airways. In addition he had a very successful contracting business building homes around the area. Al was a long-standing member of the Knights of Columbus, Mt. Vernon. He had a passion for the game of golf and loved his NY Yankees. He was a member of Leewood Golf Club for over 40 years, where he was very active on their Board of Governors and served as President for 5 years. Calling hours at the Fred H. McGrath & Son, Funeral Home, Bronxville, between the hours of 4 and 8pm, Friday. Mass of Christian Burial, St. Joseph’s Church, Bronxville, on Saturday, April 6 at 9:45am. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at stjude.org/tribute.