~In Memory of~

Carolyn Harriet Smith, wife of WA/DL Capt. Gordon Smith

July 22, 1936 ~ January 6, 2023

Notice of passing, Mrs. Carolyn Harriet Smith, age 86, wife of retired Western/Delta pilot Captain Gordon Kay Smith.  Carolyn is survived by her husband, and by their children and their grand- and great-grandchildren.  Captain Smith joined Western Airlines on 04-18-1966 and retired from Delta Air Lines. 

Condolences may be sent to:

MacKenzie Place, Apt. 417
1605 Elm Creek View
Colorado Springs, CO 80907-7187

A memorial service celebrating Carolyn’s life will be held on January 21st….please see the arrangements below.

Carolyn H. Smith, age 86, of Loveland, Colorado, passed away peacefully and entered into the full presence of the Lord on January 6, 2023. She was a devoted wife, homemaker, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Gordon K. Smith, sister, Winnelle (Jack) Newton, two children, Stan (Cindy) Smith and Angela (Tim) McKibben, five grandchildren (Tyler Smith, Hailey Brown, Alysha Cooper, Laura Trujillo, and Holly McKibben), and four great-grandchildren (Levi, Ruby, Nolan, and Ava). She is preceded in death by her parents, Garland Reed Harris and Florence Janelle Harris.

Carolyn was born on July 22, 1936, in Ryan, Oklahoma. Her family later moved to Belton, Missouri, where she met Gordon in 8th grade. Gordon and Carolyn graduated from Belton High School, and Carolyn went on to earn her teaching degree from Baker University. Following Gordon’s graduation from the University of Missouri, they married on June 14, 1959. Carolyn taught second grade in Belton and after their wedding, taught school in Pensacola, Florida, while Gordon was in Naval Air Basic Training. Gordon’s service in the Navy took them to Norfolk, Virginia, where they welcomed their first child, Stan. After Gordon’s military service, he began a career as a pilot, and they lived in Geneseo, Illinois, where they welcomed their second child, Angela. Eventually, Gordon became a pilot for Western Airlines, followed by Delta Airlines, and they made their home in Colorado. They lived many years in Littleton, Longmont, and most recently, Loveland, Colorado.

Carolyn’s joy throughout her life was caring for her husband, children, and their home. She loved attending church, cooking for her family, gardening, working on puzzles, and filling their home with treasured antiques (both family heirlooms and ones found “antiquing”). Carolyn also devoted many hours to creating beautiful, counted cross-stitch works of art.

A memorial service honoring Carolyn’s life will be held at First United Methodist Church, 420 N. Nevada Avenue, Colorado Springs, at 2 pm on January 21st. Carolyn will be laid to rest at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army.

Due to a disappointing response, the proposed luncheon for

Thursday, February 16th at Fairview Metropolitan is cancelled

Stay tuned for a more thorough explanation of how the luncheons AND

The Wallybird Website are maintained

~ IN MEMORY ~

WA/DL Captain Melvin Rozema

September 23, 1939 ~ December 14, 2022

Mel was born in Chugwater, Wyoming on September 23, 1939, to parents Bessie Rozema (née Ferguson) and Harry Rozema. He was the third of four children. He grew up on the family farm, and in 1946 they moved from Wyoming to Utah.

In June of 1957, Mel borrowed $100 from his father for private flying lessons. He was determined to learn to fly, citing his fascination with birds and their effortless flight and a little yellow crop duster that landed at a neighboring farm when he was a child as motivating factors. Mel worked his way through school, became a flight instructor, and then began flying for the United States Postal Service, the Atomic Energy Commission, the United States Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, Idaho Fish and Game, as well as being a charter pilot. He later became an airline pilot, flying for Western and Delta Airlines, retiring after 33 years. He continued with his hobby plane, a Cessna 180. He enjoyed backcountry flying, often landing to fish, camp, and pan for gold in the wilderness. After retiring from flight because of his age – he channeled his energy into remote control airplanes until his eyesight declined.

He married Sharol ‘Sherry’ Garner in 1961 and they started a family. Ken, Lane, and Karen were raised in the home they built in Centerville, Utah. Together they instilled in their children a love of the great outdoors – camping, snowmobiling, gardening, and traveling.

He cherished his grandchildren, Alyssa and Colton. He held dear to his heart his time with his four great-grandchildren: Adalyn, Arden, Ellie, and Aven. Visits with his family brought him true joy and he was very proud of his children.

He served as the airport manager and fought tirelessly for SkyPark Airport in Woods Cross, Utah for many years. You could often find him mowing the grass or plowing the snow because he took pride in all of his work. Mel loved working in the wood shop at his hangar at the airport, carefully crafting intricate chess and domino sets, beautiful wooden clocks, and furniture. His talent and precision were remarkable.

He enjoyed mingling with his many beloved friends at the Down Under, Sunshine Cafe, Alice’s Cafe, and Ramblin Roads. He had countless lifelong friends and amazing neighbors that he shared many hunting and camping trips, barbecues, and shenanigans with.

In February 2013, he suffered a terrible loss when his loving and loyal wife, Sherry, passed away. After that he felt like a piece of him was missing and he never truly recovered. I can recall him often saying, “I’ve lost my mate and now I don’t know what to do.”

Mel was as stubborn as they come and rough around the edges, but his old age and humbling life experiences brought in a tenderness that we rejoiced in. He always gave wise advice, he was generous and forgiving. He loved cracking jokes, watching NASCAR and Jazz games with Sherry, canning tomatoes, working in the garden and he made one hell of a brisket.

In October of 2022, Mel was diagnosed with throat and lymphatic cancer and he came prepared to fight. Karen was by his side every single day, at every medical appointment, and cared for him selflessly during his battle. After beginning treatment, he and his body decided he could no longer carry on and he passed away at Lakeview Hospital in the company of his devoted daughter and faithful son-in-law, Jeff.

Mel is survived by Ken Rozema and Amy Stoker of Salt Lake City, UT; Lane Rozema of New York City, NY; Karen and Jeff Argyle of Centerville, UT; Alyssa, Adalyn, Arden and Aven Argyle of South Ogden, UT; Colton, Jordan and Ellie Argyle of Centerville, UT.

A celebration of life will be held in April of 2023 at SkyPark Airport. If you are interested in attending, please email celebratingmel2023@gmail.com

From the big, kindly, yellow-beaked bird with the Martini.

While we are supposed to be celebrating a time of peace and quiet joy, I seem to be doing snap rolls and flying in circles of ever-increasing diameter at Vne!

Therefore, I propose to have the first quarterly luncheon of the next year on Thursday, the 16th of February.

It would be at The Fairview Metropolitan near OAK.

I ask those in favor to email a “YES” to the Ugly Bird at:

pjbro@sbcglobal.net as soon as possible. 

If there is enough interest, I will then ask for an RSVP sent to the same address.

Meanwhile, bask in the meaning of this holy time of the year.

Blessings,

W. B.

~ IN MEMORY ~

Navy veteran, WAL/DL Capt. William “Bill” Fulgham

December 29, 1934 ~ November 4, 2022

We have sad news to share this morning…..from family we have learned of the passing of retired Western/Delta pilot Captain William “Bill” Raleigh Fulgham, age 87.  Bill joined Western Airlines 02-27-1961 and was based LAX & SLC, then 030/PDX at the time of his retirement with Delta Air Lines.  Bill is survived by his wife WA/DL F/A MarySue Lewis Fulgham, and by his children and their families.   

As was Bill’s wishes, no services were held. 

Thank you,

~ Carol for the PCN  

Obituary :   William R. Bill Fulgham passed away November 4, 2022. Bill suffered a heart attack just as he completed his daily early morning walk. 

Bill was born in Overton, Texas, December 29, 1934. When he was 6 months old, the family moved to Squaw Valley, CA, in the foothills outside of Fresno. His family relocated to Avenal, CA, and he graduated from Avenal High School in 1952. Bill joined the Navy after graduation. He later attended Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, OK, earning his A&P license. When Bill returned to California, he earned his private pilot license and, acquiring all the necessary training and flight hours, in 1961 he was hired as a pilot by Western Airlines. 

In 1959 he married Martha Joyce Wilkins and they had 2 sons. After mandatory retirement in 1994, Bill and Joyce spent a year cruising Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands until her death in early 1996. 

In 1998 Bill married MarySue Lewis and they moved to Ridgefield, WA. They continued cruising for a few years and travelled as far north as Skagway, Alaska, and as far south as Manzanillo, Mexico. 

Bill loved his career as an airline pilot. He flew the DC-6, Boeing 737, 727, 757 & 767, and MD-11. He survived the Western/Delta merger but Western Airlines was always first in his heart. Bill was happy to tell you that once he was hired by Western Airlines, he never again worked a day in his life. Going to the airport to fly, see the country and spend the day with great people certainly could not be considered work.

Bill is survived by his wife, MarySue, sons Andrew and Bryan Fulgham, Scott Compton, 2 amazing daughters-in-law Teresa Fulgham and Heather Compton, and 5 well loved grandchildren Samantha, Sydney and Kevin Fulgham and Jack and Luke Compton. He will be deeply missed by all that knew and loved him.

~ IN MEMORY ~

Navy veteran, WA/DL Capt. Charles A. Sherman Jr.

July 24, 1942 ~ October 12, 2022

From friends and colleagues, we learn of the passing of retired Western/Delta pilot Captain Charlie Sherman, age 80.  Charlie covered a lot of ground and worked many jobs as he worked his way towards Captain….A/C mech USN, Alaska Railroad warehouse laborer, hired by NWA in 1963 R&E mech/lead cleaner, radioman for Flying Tigers in 1967 & Maint., worked for Prudhoe Bay Oil Dist., moved to California in 1971 and hired on with Western Airlines 04-21-1971 as a ramper at LAX, then mech 1972 and was a pilot for Western by 07-12-1976, flew B-737, 727, 757, 767, L-1011, and retired with Delta Air Lines July 2002. Whew!!  Charlie did it all!

Charlie passed away on Oct. 12, 2022, at the age of 80 in Surprise, Arizona.

He was born to Charles Sherman Sr. and Pauline Finn in Weymouth, Mass., on July 24, 1942.

Charlie was a Navy veteran, airplane mechanic, and captain for western and Delta Airlines. He retired from Delta in 2002 on the Boeing 767ER.

Charlie was honored by the FAA in his hangar in Lincoln, Montana, and received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot award for holding a pilot certificate for 50 years.

Charlie was an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous for 40 years. He had a unique gift to help other people get and stay sober.

He is survived by sister Karol and Eric Weatherby and sister-in-law Kathy Lewis, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, son Mike, and brother Kirk.

The Charlie Sherman Museum, Hangar 14, at the Lincoln Airport, is filled with his collection of pictures and airline memorabilia from his long flying career. The hanger is available to be shown by appointment with Bob and Karen Frank-Plumlee.

A service will be held at the old Lincoln cemetery in Lincoln, Montana at a later date.

Obituary information is available online at https://www.blackfootvalleydispatch.com/story/2022/10/31/obits/obituary-charles-a-sherman/3435.html

We have managed to get a WordPress expert to do some much-needed updates and improvements to the site. The biggest improvement is that visitors no longer need to log in just to view the routine posts like any other Blog site. The site can be bookmarked and visited by members and by anyone they may want to share a post with.

Site Updates Included:

• Installed a plugin called “BackWPUp” and downloaded a backup of the website
• Replaced the old login system with one that only protects the ‘Members’ and ‘Gone West’ pages.
• Updated all the WordPress plugins.
• Updated the menu to show the profile/logout or login options depending on the user’s login status.

If you have received this announcement by email, please respond “Yes” to Paul at pjbro@sbcglobal.net

We have just learned that Western/Delta Captain Shirley Burch (Otis) Shannon passed in May of 2020.  She was 73 years of age at the time of her passing.  Shirley joined Western Airlines on August 9th, 1976, and retired with Delta Air Lines, based 030/DFW at the time of retirement.  Shirley was born/raised in Chico, California where she had most recently resided prior to her death.

Texas Woman’s University

Find a Grave

Shirley Shannon (WG #182) earned her helicopter rating on May 9, 1974. She also held ratings for multi-engine, flight instructor, ground instructor, and airframe and power plant mechanics. She was also a safety counselor for the FAA. She was the third Whirly-Girl to join Western Airlines and one of 8 women flight crew members in Western’s total pilot group of over 1500.

Shirley was an accomplished 5th-degree black belt in jujitsu from the age of 12. She was the school photographer in high school and after graduation, she earned her helicopter rating on May 9, 1974. she was a member of Whirly-Girls International (WG #182) She also held ratings for multiple engine, flight instructor, ground instructor, airframe, and power plant mechanics. She was a safety counselor for the FAA and a second officer for Western Airlines and one of 8 women pilots in Westerns 1500 crew members. She was also the first woman pilot for Delta Airlines. Shirley was a very talented and accomplished lady who will be missed by all.

Update:  please note service arrangements for WA/DL Capt KB Clark and wife Cookie…..

MEMORIAL SERVICE

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Horan & McConaty – Aurora

11150 East Dartmouth Avenue

Aurora, CO 80014

RECEPTION

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

HeartLight Center

11150 East Dartmouth Avenue

Denver, CO 80014

INTERMENT

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

11:00 AM

Air Force Academy Cemetery

5136 Eagle Dr.

Colorado Springs, CO 80840

Waynesville, Roger Bruce Hansen, 79, passed away on Sunday, July 31, 2022.

Roger was born into a military family and lived in France for several years before the family settled in Aptos, California.  Prior to graduating from San Francisco State University, he served in the United States Army, 82nd Airborne Division.  Roger worked as a bush pilot in Alaska before entering his long career as a commercial airline pilot.  He retired from Delta Airlines after 36 years of traveling worldwide on trans-Atlantic flights along with his flight attendant wife, Mary.  They resided in Aptos, California during much of this tenure.  Following his retirement as a pilot, they moved to Waynesville, North Carolina, where they have resided for the last 18 years, and where he worked for 15 years as a real estate broker with Re/Max. 

He is survived by his wife of 28 years, Mary Worth Hansen; and a son, Michael Hansen, who lives in California.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 4, 2022, in the Waynesville chapel of Wells Funeral Home with Reverend Tim McConnell, officiating.  Military Honors will follow the service.  The family will receive friends from 1:30 until 3:00 p.m. at the funeral home. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to SARGE’s Animal Rescue Foundation, PO Box 854, Waynesville, NC 28786 or Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society, 200 Gable Drive, Sapphire, NC 28774, or Pug Rescue of North Carolina, www.pugrescuenc.org, PO Box 10601, Virginia Beach, VA  23450.

The care of Mr. Hansen has been entrusted to Wells Funeral Home of Waynesville.