As you may remember, Dick had a serious surgery about a month ago to remedy nerve damage caused by a fall. That surgery was deemed by the surgeon to have been successful and Dick was moved to Woodlands Health Center in Los Gatos for physical therapy to counter some paralysis. Somehow that incision was ruptured and Dick was sent back to UCSF to repair the damage.

Dick is experiencing extreme pain and his trials have been a terrible strain upon Mary and all his family. We hope and pray that the surgical repairs will be successful and that Dick may soon return to Woodlands and to normal health. Dick’s room telephone number is (415) 514 5050

Dick thanks all who have sent their uplifting messages of love and encouragement.

~ IN MEMORY ~

Military veteran, WA/DL Capt. & Brig. Gen. Lawrence A. ‘Bud’ Sittig

December 18, 1946 ~ May 22, 2021 

Notification with the passing of retired Western/Delta pilot Brigadier General and Chief of Staff Lawrence Andrew ‘Bud’ Sittig, age 74.  Captain Sittig joined Western Airlines 09-07-1976 and retired with Delta Air Lines in 2004 as noted below.  He is survived by his wife Fran, his daughters and his grandchildren, and his mother Tressie and his sister.

Lawrence A. “Bud” Sittig was born December 18, 1946 in Sioux Falls, SD to Tressie and Harold Sittig. 

Bud was well known for his love of family, friends, flying and his faith.  His passion for aviation created the arc for his life, and it was the foundation to a life of leadership, adventure, determination, integrity, and mentorship. But it was his kindness, his warm smile, his tolerant and compassionate nature that endeared him to people around the world.

Bud’s love of aviation began as a young boy flying with his father on the family farm in South Dakota. He married his high school sweetheart, Fran, in 1967 and started his young family.  Through his early flying adventures Bud completed a Bachelor of Science degree from South Dakota State University in Agricultural Business. 

Bud served his country with a thirty-one-year career with the Air National Guard in three units:   South Dakota Air Guard flying the F100; the Arizona Air Guard flying the F100 and A7; and the Colorado Air Guard flying the A7 and F16. Bud completed his Air Guard career as a Brigadier General and Chief of Staff of the Colorado Air National Guard. 

In parallel with his military career, he flourished in a commercial airline career beginning with Western Airlines in 1976 and Delta in 1987. With Delta, Bud embraced leadership positions as Chief Pilot and Director of Flight Safety. His Guard and airline career instilled the love of country and a love for travel in his family.

In 2004 Bud retired from Delta Airlines and moved into the business side of aviation. He joined the founding team of Skybus Airlines, a start-up national airline in Columbus, Ohio, and later established Flight Guidance, LLC.

Bud regularly flew his 1959 Beechcraft Bonanza and crisscrossed the country with Fran as his faithful co-pilot.   He was a passionate Beechcraft owner, taught fellow Bonanza pilots the art of formation flying and loved flying into OshKosh in July. One of the things Bud was most proud of was teaching his two grandsons to fly and watching them solo on their 16th birthdays. 

Bud’s lifetime commitment to aviation was broad and deep as his career spanned civilian, military, and commercial aviation. For nearly 60 years Bud’s love for flying has taken him through the sky in over 125 types of aircraft accruing more than 20,000 hours of flight time.  

Bud overcame Mantle Cell Lymphoma in 2016. This spring he fought a grueling and unwinnable 7-week battle against COVID-19 and passed away on May 22, 2021 surrounded by his family. 

Bud is survived by his wife Fran; his three daughters – Laurie (Kirk), Sarah (Joel), and Katie (Chad); five grandchildren – George, Andrew, Angelina, Maya and Ivy; his sister Sharon Lubeck and his mother Tressie Sittig. He is preceded in death by his father, Harold Sittig.

A Memorial will be held at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, SD on Tuesday, June 15th at 11:00 AM. Burial with Military Honors will be at Hills of Rest Cemetery, Sioux Falls. 

A  Colorado Air National Guard Memorial Service for Brig. Gen. Lawrence A. “Bud” Sittig, Ret. will be held at Wings Over the Rockies in Denver, CO on Friday, June 18, 2021. Doors open at 9:00 AM and the memorial service begins at 10:00 AM.

Obituary information is available online at the funeral home website

Online Tribute at Tribute Archive

Super Sabre Society: Read more of Bud’s career information

Loss of the Memphis Belle story

PCN Flight West Obituary

For those who may wish to contact the family, I see a current whitepages address listing as: 

6161 S Netherland Way, Centennial  CO 80016

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are welcome at the organizations that Bud was passionate about supporting: 

  Lighthawk (https://www.lighthawk.org/donatenav/sittig-memorial-fund/)

  South Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame  (https://sdpilots.com/hall_of_fame.php#Contacts)

  National Aviation Hall of Fame (https://www.nationalaviation.org/donate-now/)

  Lord of the Hills Lutheran Church (https://www.lordofthehills.org)

  Wings Over the Rockies (https://wingsmuseum.org/give/)

MEMORIAL SERVICE

Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM

Our Saviors Lutheran Church

909 W 33rd St

Sioux Falls, SD 57105

CELEBRATION OF LIFE

Friday, June 18, 2021 at 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM

Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum

7711 E Academy Blvd

Denver, CO 80230

~ IN MEMORY ~

Diane Marie Detwiler, wife of WA/DL Capt. Mark J. Detwiler

July 31, 1947 – May 22, 2021

Word has reached our group with news of the passing of Diane Marie Detwiler, wife of retired Western/Delta pilot Captain Mark Joshua Detwiler who joined Western Airlines 12-12-1972 and retired with Delta Air Lines.  Diane is survived by her husband Mark, her children and her grandchildren, and her sisters.

To view the obituary online and share memories please visit the funeral home website

For those who may wish to send a personal note, we see the family address listed in whitepages as 

8810 Detwiler Road , Escondido, CA 92029-8007.

Link to PCN Obituary

Diane Detwiler passed away peacefully on May 22, 2021 surrounded by the love of her family. She was 73 years old.

Diane was born in California, was the oldest of three children and attended school in the Inland Empire area. Upon graduating from high school, she completed her education to become a dental assistant and later married Mark Detwiler who was a pilot in the Navy. During Mark’s tour with the Navy, she had the opportunity to live and visit many places in and outside of the United States. After the Navy, Mark flew for commercial airlines and they settled in Escondido where they raised their family.

Diane had many creative talents including jewelry making, flower arranging and cooking, but the talent she was most known for were her water color paintings. She was a member of 10North, an artist’s group in Escondido, and regularly showed her work at various exhibits in the North County area. She specialized in animal portraits which captured the unique personalities of the subjects she painted. She was also known for her beautiful floral paintings. She enjoyed painting for family and friends and also sold many of the paintings she created.

Traditions and family were very important to Diane. She continued traditions she learned from her grandmother and created new traditions for her family to carry on. She loved spending time with her family and especially cherished the time she spent with her grandchildren. She was a loving wife, mother, sister and friend who loved to laugh and will be greatly missed by everyone that knew her.

Diane is survived by her husband, two sons, a daughter, two grandchildren and two sisters.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation be made in memory of Diane to:

The Elizabeth Hospice, 500 La Terraza Blvd., Suite 130, Escondido, CA 92025

Thanks to Carol Faulkner for providing the information for this post.

~ IN MEMORY ~

September 24, 1938 – May 11, 2021

From family members comes this sad news with the passing of retired Western/Delta pilot Captain Michael Lewis Melton Jr., age 82.  Captain Melton joined Western Airlines 07-15-1968 and retired with Delta Airlines in 1998, based LAX/030.  He is survived by his wife Diane plus many close and dear family members.

To view the obituary and share memories online please visit the funeral home website at Lohman Funeral Homes

For those wishing to send a personal note, we see the family’s address listed in whitepages as
4630 Harbour Village Blvd Unit 1407,  Ponce Inlet, FL 32127-7266

A celebration of life event is planned for May 25^th

Obituary  :  Michael Lewis Melton Jr. of Ponce Inlet, Florida passed away on May 11, 2021 in Ponce Inlet. A celebration of life will be May 25, 2021, 3 p.m. at the Halifax River Yacht Club.

Michael Melton was born September 24, 1938 in Brooklyn, New York to Gladys and Michael Melton. Michael went to high school at Princess Anne High School in Lynnhaven, Virginia where he was a regional basketball star and graduated June 7, 1956. He then attended college at William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree on June 10, 1962. After graduation from college, Michael enlisted in the United States Air Force, completing pilot training school May 13, 1964 at Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock, Texas. While stationed at Reese AFB, Michael met Dianne who was attending Texas Tech University in Lubbock. They dated and then married August 22, 1964 in Norfolk, Virginia.

Michael served in the United States Air Force for almost six years. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War serving two tours flying C-130s where he earned the Air Medal with 1st through 4th Oak Clusters. Michael always considered it a high honor to have served his country. He then went into the commercial airline industry flying commercially both domestic & international, first for Western Airlines then Delta Airlines. Michael was an accomplished flyer, motorcyclist, & boater – pursuits he approached with his competent yet fun, loving style. Michael and Dianne loved living on the water here in Ponce Inlet. They met wonderful friends and enjoyed time on their boat here. They loved to travel, lived all over the world, and spent lots of time on the ocean with friends. He will be greatly missed.

Michael Melton was preceded in death by his mother Gladys Melton and father Michael Melton as well as his in-loves Marie and Audie Taylor.

Michael Melton is survived by his loving wife of 56 years Dianne Melton,  brother-in-law Dr. Donald C Taylor and his wife Nancy Taylor, his niece Lauren Tidmore and her husband Matthew Tidmore, grandnieces Julia and Allie Tidmore, nephew Craig Taylor and his wife Tiffany Taylor and grandnephews Hayes and Jack Taylor.

The family wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Halifax River Yacht Club and Loman Funeral Home. We would also like to thank Mike and Dianne’s close friends for loving them and assisting us.

Thanks to Carol Faulkner for passing this to The Wallybird

Dick’s wife, Mary advised me this afternoon that Dick’s surgeon, Doctor Sinjay Dkarr, declared his surgery to have been successful ! Dick will remain at UCSF Medical Center for a few days and then will return to Woodlands Healthcare Center for rehabilitation and physical therapy.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Richard A. (Dick) Deeds, prompted by his love for the traditions of Western Airlines and those men and women who are a part of them, single handedly organized and founded The Wallybird which has helped to sustain the bond of those of us who so fondly remember that ugly but lovable old big-beaked bird.

In addition, he and his son Ken built and have continued to maintain this, the Wallybird website, which we enjoy here today.

Some may not be aware that Dick had been in extremely poor health due to a serious heart condition. A recent fall damaged some upper vertebrae and nerves causing some paralysis. Dick has been in a “holding Pattern” since then pending consultations with his proposed surgeon and that surgeon’s trusted cardiologist. If the two doctors agree, Dick may undergo the VERY SERIOUS surgery he asked for next Thursday, May 6th. He will be moved to the UCSF facility this Monday.

My Judicial Watch calendar indicates that May 6th is the National Day Of Prayer. How coincidental. Let us pray for a successful surgery for Dick.

We regret to announce (belatedly) the passing of WA/DL Captain John Henry Miltner

February 24, 1936 – June 1, 2019

Captain Miltner joined Western Airlines 05-26-1969 and retired from Delta Airlines inn 1996.

Obituary information is available at:

https://www.holdshipfuneralhomes.com/obituary/John-Miltner

Captain Miltner had resided in Thailandprior to the time of his passing. He is survived by his children, grandchildren and his siblings.

There were no services.

See also:

https://pcnflightwest.blogspot.com/2021/04/wadl-capt-john-henry-miltner.html

WA/DL Captain Peter ‘Pete’ Bonofiglio, Jr, born August 1, 1934, flew West on January 23, 2021.

Born in New York state, Pete married Martha Miller in 1963. He joined Western airlines on August 29, 1966 and

retired in August 1994 from his base at 030/SLC.

Pete was widowed in October 2015 with the passing of his wife, Martha.

Thanks, once again, to Carol Faulkner for this information.

We invite anyone with additional information about Pete and his family to please share it.

The link below reveals a bit more about Pete’s start as an airline pilot and his off line flying:

https://pcnflightwest.blogspot.com/2021/04/wadl-capt-peter-pete-bonofiglio-jr.html

Curt Taylor has reserved Thursday, 15 July as a TENTATIVE date for our next Wallybird Luncheon.

Stay tuned and maybe we will see one another then, like old times.

~ IN MEMORY ~

USAF veteran, WA/DL Captain James Patrick Gallagher

June 9, 1937 – March 23, 2021

Word has reached us with news of the passing of retired Western/Delta pilot Captain Jim Gallagher, age 83.  Captain Gallagher joined Western Airlines 02-03-1969 and retired with Delta Air Lines in 1997, based 030/SLC at the time of retirement.  He is survived by his wife Judy, his children, and his grandchildren.   Obituary information is available for viewing online at The Salt Lake Tribune and at Starks Funeral Parlor and Echovita.

Condolences may be sent to the family at:

4757 S Ichabod St.,  Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Thank you,

~ Carol for the PCN  

PCN Obituary

Jim Gallagher passed away peacefully at home on March 23, 2021 due to complications from a stroke. He was born on June 9, 1937 in Milwaukee, WI to Bernice Casper and George Kugel. He was adopted as an infant by James and Mary Gallagher and grew up in Green Bay with his siblings Judee and Michael. Jim graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1962 and was stationed in Dover, DE, Newfoundland, Canada, and Nashville, TN. In 1964, while shopping for a car in Washington, D.C. he met and married the love of his life, Judy Pier, of Shaker Heights, Ohio. They have been happily married for 56 years. 

After leaving the Air Force in 1969, Jim joined Western Airlines and moved his family to Los Angeles, CA. There he joined the Lotus West car club and spent many weekends with Judy winning slalom races in his Lotus Super 7. Jim had an Illustrious barbershop singing experience. He sang in over 10 quartets singing with the Beehive Statesmen, BQPA, and Tri-W. He regularly attended the annual Harmony College convention to share his love of singing. Through these hobbies, he made many lifelong friendships across the country. In 1982, Jim and Judy moved their family from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City. At age 60, Jim retired from Delta Airlines and spent the next ten years skiing at Solitude with the FOGS “as many days in the ski season as his age.” He loved the outdoor life in Utah, biking, hiking, and stargazing. Jim and Judy spent their marriage traveling to all the US states and over 50 countries. In their later adventures, they befriended a travel group and made many memories together. Jim was “Mr. Fix-It”, known throughout the community as the go-to man for any problem.  He will be missed for his selfless support of his friends, neighbors, and children for all their house and car repairs.  

Later in life, Jim was fortunate to be reunited with his birth mother, Bernice, and 3 siblings. Many happy trips and reunions resulted from this connection and filled Jim and his family’s hearts with more love than thought possible. 

Jim is survived by his loving wife, Judy, of 56 years, his five children, Peter, David (Miriam), Debra, Daniel, and Katie Thomas (Chris), ten grandchildren, Robert, James, Ethan, Hailey, Lauren, Lindsay, Henry, Caroline, Sidney, and Ella. Jim is also survived by his siblings Jim Kugel (Kris), Joan Collins (Bob), Frank Kugel (Debbie), brother-in-law Philip Pier (Alice) and many nieces and nephews.  

A celebration of Jim’s life will be on Thursday, April 15, 2021, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East, Salt Lake City.