Georgiann Sue “Cookie” (Schaaf) Clark, age 80, passed away at the Assured Assisted Living Memory Care Home in Centennial, CO on July 25, 2022, from Alzheimer’s Disease.

Cookie was born March 15, 1942, in Eau Claire, WI. Her parents were Gerald Schaaf and Juanita (Budrow) Schaaf. She has one brother, John Schaaf, of Eau Claire. She is married to Kirk B. Clark, also originally of Eau Claire, now living in Centennial, CO. They have two sons: Kevin Clark of Centennial, CO, and Scott Clark, of Santa Fe, TX.

Cookie Clark lived a wonderful life as a daughter, a sister, an Air Force fighter pilot’s wife, a mother, a teacher, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, a cousin, an aunt, and a friend. Her life has been filled with love and laughter, education, adventure, and fun.

Cookie was born and raised in Eau Claire, WI, and she was always an Eau Claire girl. She lived in a house on Half Moon Lake near Carson Park where she was able to watch the great baseball player Hank Aaron play for the minor league Eau Claire Bears, a farm club for the Boston Braves, in 1952. Cookie’s brother John is a huge sports fan, and she shares her love of sports with him and her whole family.

From an early age, Cookie always knew she wanted to be a teacher. As a child, she would line up her dolls in rows, give each one a book and proceed to teach a class every day. After raising her family, Cookie fulfilled her dream of becoming a teacher. She taught Kindergarten and Second Grade at Jewell Elementary School in Aurora, CO for 20 years before retiring in 2000.

Cookie loved growing up in Eau Claire. She enjoyed figure skating on Half Moon Lake during the winters. She learned to swim at the Eau Claire YMCA, and she attended the YMCA’s Camp Manitou in the summers.

Cookie has a strong Christian faith that was nurtured at Grace Lutheran Church in Eau Claire. She was baptized, confirmed, and married at Grace Lutheran. She enjoyed attending church and singing in the choir wherever she happened to live at the time. While living in Aurora, CO, she was active at Faith Presbyterian Church. She sang in the choir for many years and served as a Deacon.

Cookie attended Eau Claire Memorial High School (Class of 1960). She enjoyed high school and was a cheerleader during her senior year.

In high school, Cookie met the man she would eventually marry, Kirk B. Clark. Kirk played football and baseball in high school.

After high school, Kirk went off to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. After Kirk graduated from the Academy, these two high school sweethearts would marry on June 30, 1962, at Grace Lutheran Church in Eau Claire. This was the start of Cookie’s next big adventure as the wife of a fighter pilot and the mother of two boys.

Cookie and Kirk have two sons, Kevin, and Scott. Kevin and his wife Cheryl (Lesh) live in Centennial, CO. Scott and his wife Laura (Cullen) live in Sante Fe, TX. Cookie has five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Kevin and Cheryl have three sons: Andrew Clark, Matthew Clark, and Aaron Clark. They live in the Denver, CO, metro area. Scott and Laura have two daughters: Jordan Rusk (Brad) and Connor Jennings (Mitchell). Jordan and Brad have three children: two boys, Lincoln Rusk, and Jackson Rusk, and one girl, Madison Rusk. All of Scott and Laura’s children and grandchildren live in the Houston, TX metro area.

Mom always put family first. To Kevin and Scott, she was absolutely the best Mom ever! She was a source of unconditional love. She always made life a fun adventure. She was our first and best teacher. She was the strength and the glue that held our family together as we moved all over the country and around the world since my Dad was a fighter pilot in the Air Force and then a pilot with Western and Delta Airlines.

Since Dad was gone about half the time flying for the Air Force and for the airlines, Mom was a single Mom for much of the time, holding down the fort and raising us kids. She could do it all, and she did it with style and grace.

While Kirk was in the Air Force, and flying as an airline pilot, Cookie and the family were stationed in Phoenix, AZ; Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath, England; Seattle, WA; Anchorage, AK; Tucson, AZ; Minneapolis, MN, and Denver, CO. Mom was always able to make a wonderful, loving home for us wherever we were living.

Mom earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Colorado Women’s College in 1981 and then began a twenty-year teaching career. She taught Kindergarten and Second Grade at Jewell Elementary School in Aurora, CO and retired in 2000. Along the way, she earned a Master’s Degree in Education from Lesley College, MA.

Kevin and Scott agree that Cookie was a great Mom. She made everything fun. She took us on many adventures including the zoo, museums, amusement parks, movies, putt-putt golfing, swimming, and always took us to the library.

Cookie may have started her career as a cheerleader in high school, but she was a cheerleader by nature and a cheerleader in life. To Scott and Kevin, she was our greatest cheerleader, attending our sporting events in little league, youth soccer, youth basketball, and high school soccer and basketball. She supported her children and grandchildren in all their activities including sports (soccer, basketball, lacrosse) and the arts (piano, theatre, dance). She cheered us all on in every endeavor including life.  For example, she loved Harry Potter books and always took her grandson Andrew to The Tattered Cover bookstore for the release parties when a new Harry Potter book would come out. She attended hundreds of soccer games to watch Kevin, Scott, Aaron, and Andrew compete. She attended horse riding events and Special Olympics for Matthew. She supported Jordan in her dance activities and competitions including dancing in Texas, a two-week dance workshop in Boulder, CO, and dance performances in New York and Boston. Cookie also attended Connor’s dance performances in Texas and supported Connor in her Future Farmers of America activities and competitions. Cookie supported both Jordan and Connor in their many educational and academic efforts and achievements.

In addition to cheering for her family in all their activities, she loved cheering for her home state teams of the Green Bay Packers and the University of Wisconsin Badgers. She cheered for all the Air Force Academy teams and would often attend Air Force football games with Kirk. She also enjoyed rooting for all the Colorado professional sports teams including the Broncos, the Avalanche, the Nuggets and the Rockies.

Mom was very competitive, and she enjoyed playing games of all kinds: tennis, racquetball, croquet, ping-pong, card games, and board games. She definitely knew how to have fun!

The last few years of Cookie’s life have been difficult because she had Alzheimer’s Disease. Thankfully, she knew her family right to the end and Kevin was able to be with her when she died peacefully in her bed on July 25, 2022.

Cookie’s most lasting legacy is the gift of love. She was a source of unconditional love to her family and especially to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Everyone that got to know her loved her because she loved them. She offered that profound gift of love to everyone including all the students she taught over those twenty years.

Cookie was a happy, loving person who loved helping others, teaching children and cheering them on so that they can be the best person they can be and achieve their goals in life.

Much like her name, Cookie, she was just plain sweet and wonderful. Not to mention that she made some of the best chocolate chip cookies on the planet!

We love you Mom! You will be missed. We look forward to eating some of your chocolate chip cookies again when we see you in heaven.

Cookie is survived by her husband Kirk Clark of Centennial, CO; her sons Kevin Clark (Cheryl) of Centennial, CO and Scott Clark (Laura) of Santa Fe, TX; her grandsons Andrew Clark, Matthew Clark, and Aaron Clark of Denver, CO; her granddaughters Jordan Rusk (Brad) and Connor Jennings (Mitchell) of Houston, TX; her great-grandchildren Lincoln Rusk, Jackson Rusk, and Madison Rusk of Houston, TX; her brother John Schaaf (Nancy) of Eau Claire, WI; her niece Sara (Schaaf) Jappinen (husband Mark) of Oconomowoc, WI, and additional extended family members.

Cookie was preceded in death by her parents Gerald Schaaf and Juanita (Budrow) Schaaf; and her nephew Mark Schaaf.

A Memorial Service and Celebration of Life will be scheduled at a later date for family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial Contributions may be made to the Eau Claire YMCA. To make a gift, please call Suzie Slota, Director of Mission Advancement, at 715-839-4631 or email her at sslota@ymca-cv.org

To find out more about the great work of the Eau Claire YMCA in the community, please view their website at YMCA of the Chippewa Valley at YMCA OF THE CHIPPEWA VALLEY

In spite of some Covid casualties, we had a group of nineteen Wallybirds, Quiet Birdmen

and their guests, some who made the effort from quite a distance.

Thanks to our in house docents, Allan Cartwright and Tony Schoemehl who uncovered many

of the mysteries of the gallant CV12. We received some very positive responses and thanks for

those tours.

Allan reported a very generous donation to the Ship/Museum of $380.

He said that anytime we should choose to have another luncheon there that the “ship”

would certainly welcome us

As previously advertised, we have been afforded a great opportunity to gather and tour on the USS Hornet in Alameda. We need to have your RSVP by 1200 Sunday July 17^th (next Sunday!). If you would like a box lunch, please specify your preference from the choices below and respond to Curt Taylor at curt@taylorsinpv.com by the RSVP deadline.

Date: 21 July 2022

Time: 1230

Location: 707 Hornet Avenue, Pier 3, Alameda

Box lunch charge: $10

Suggested donation to USS Hornet Air and Space Museum: $20 (check can be made out to same)

Sandwich meat choices: Beef/Ham/Chicken/Turkey/Pastrami

Bread Choices: White/Wheat/Rye

Drink Choices: Coke/Pepsi/Ginger Ale/7 UP/Water

            If you desire a diet soda, please so indicate.

Lunches will include potato salad and a bag of chips.

Family and friends invited!

Many thanks to our docent hosts Allan Cartwright and Tony Schoemehl

RSVP: Curt Taylor (Paul is taking a break) at curt@taylorsinpv.com by 1200 Sunday 17 July!

~ IN MEMORY ~

Military veteran, WA/DL Capt. Kenneth Lee Shackelford Jr.

April 17, 1945, ~ May 6, 2022

Obituary: Kenneth L. Shackelford was born in Atascadero, California on April 17, 1945, and died at home in Thayne, Wyoming on May 6, 2022. His life was filled with many personal and professional accomplishments. After high school, he attended San Jose State College from 1963-1967 on a track scholarship, where he held the American and World records in the 880 and 1-mile team relay.

After graduation, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Once he completed OCS in Quantico, VA, he was selected for flight training and earned his Navy wings of gold. Ken proudly served his country from 1969-1970 in Vietnam, flying 229 combat missions in the F-4 Phantom.

Upon his return to the US, he became an instructor pilot in the Advanced Naval Training Command based in Kingsville, Texas, and was selected to be the Marine alternate for the Navy flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels.

He married his wife of 50 years, Carol, in May 1972, and after resigning his commission in the fall, he and Carol returned to So. California. Ken was hired by Western Airlines as a pilot based in Los Angeles, eventually transferring to Minneapolis.

While in Minneapolis he successfully opened three Apple computer stores and was chosen by Apple to be one of the only people in the state of Minnesota to be trained on the “Lisa” which was the precursor to the Mac computers we have today.

In 1984 the family sold the computer stores and moved to Park City, UT where Ken began a new chapter in the airline business as Western merged with Delta Airlines. Ken’s drive and leadership lead him to culminate his career as Chief Line Check Pilot for the Delta 737 fleet from July 1996 until 2000, retiring in 2003.

Ken leaves behind his loving wife Carol; Daughter Kelly, her partner Matt Gridley and her three daughters Emma, Abby, and Olivia; Daughter Kathleen, her husband Brooks Holmes, and their two sons Teigen and Torin; Son Kenneth Ill and his wife Niko Perez.

No service is planned at this time.

“When the sun of life sets, the stars of memory shine.”

My proofreading is not foolproof.

My apologies to Allan Cartwright for inadvertently shortening his family name

in the previous post. please forgive me Allan.

Our Navy vets will fondly recall that thunderous greeting from the ship’s 1MC or PA system.

All Wallybirds, their friends, wives and husbands are invited to our quarterly luncheon, this time aboard the USS HORNET – AIR and SPACE MUSEUM

707 Hornet Avenue, Pier 3 in Alameda

Thursday 21 July

Time: 1230 PDT

Docent and Fellow Wallybird, Allan Wright has arranged for us to meet in the Officers’ Wardroom where we might partake of a box lunch and briefly discuss the future of the SFO Area Wallybird Luncheons and that of our Wallybird website.

Allan has managed to get us aboard on a normal “off day” for the ship and so admission is free but a donation of $20 or so will contribute to the continued operation of this very famous museum.

Checks may be made out to: The USS Hornet-Air & Space Museum.

Following our meeting, Allan and fellow docent, Tony Schoemehl will conduct a couple tours either topside or below deck. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes to enable you to negotiate the ladders.

Please RSVP to Paul at <pjbro@sbcglobal.net> (Captain Curt has fled the country)

Thanks to our  “in-house” USS Hornet Docent, Allan Cartwright, we have the Officers’ Wardroom reserved for us Wallybirds on Thursday, 21 July.

Further details to follow.

USS Hornet Museum Web Site

July 21 – Save the date!

~ IN MEMORY ~

WA/DL Capt. Jack Squire Fischer

December 28, 1936 ~ September 4, 2021 

Obituary information can be found online

Notice of passing….retired Western/Delta pilot Captain Jack Squire Fischer, age 84.  Jack joined Western Airlines on 08-29-1966.  He is survived by his wife Barbara, and by his children and grandchildren.

Jack Squire Fischer, age 84, of Hillside, passed away on Saturday, September 4, 2021, at his home.  He was born December 28, 1936, in Salida, Colorado, to Roman Daniel and Dorene Squire Fischer. 

Jack was a hard-working man who didn’t complain a lot.  He loved flying for Western Airlines, working on small planes, and his T-Birds.  He also enjoyed tinkering around the house and garage, working on projects and cars.  He was a jack-of-all-trades.  He would take on any project and complete it with precision and craftsmanship.

Jack was a man of few words but was always listening. He was content with life and very comfortable with who he was.  He had a heart of gold and loved his family. He was known for his wit, taking any opportunity to get a laugh. 

He leaves behind his wife, Barbara Fischer; daughters, Susan Rogers and Lori Porter; son, Gary Fischer; sons-in-law, Michael Rogers and Rich Porter; daughter-in-law, Deborah Fischer; grandchildren, Steven Giandalia and Matt Giandalia, and their wives, Stephanie Giandalia and Jenny Giandalia, Nick Porter, Katie Porter, Zach Fischer, Steven Staton, Derek Staton, and Taylor Watson, and great-grandchildren, Jack Giandalia, Henry Giandalia, and Goldie Giandalia. He was preceded in death by his parents.  

A private family service will be held.

Condolences may be sent to the Fischer family at 

477 County Road 32

Cotopaxi, CO  81223

July 28, 1940 ~ June 2, 2022

We have just received sad notice from the family with news of Tony’s passing today….please look for updates to follow.  Captain Anthony Vicar joined Western Airlines on 08-21-1967 and retired with Delta Air Lines, based 031/ATL at the time of retirement.  The family writes “ ……..Anthony Vicar was a pilot for Delta for many decades, first working with Western Airlines in 1967 before the Delta merge. He moved to Atlanta in 1992 and lived there with his family until now. He passed away today (June 2, 2022) after sustaining major brain trauma from a fall in his home……”

As more information is received we will pass it along.  

For those who may wish to send a personal note, the Vicar address is listed in white pages as:

2011 Palmetto Dunes Ct # T

Duluth, GA 30097

June 28, 1936 ~ March 17, 2022

Notice of passing….retired Western/Delta pilot Captain James Gary Olsen, age 85.  Captain Olsen joined Western Airlines on 08-29-1966 and retired with Delta Air Lines in 1996.  Widowed with the passing of his wife Kathleen, Gary is survived by his children and his grandchildren.

James Gary Olsen passed away peacefully with his loving children at his side on Thursday, 17 Mar 2022 at the age of 85. He was the first born of five children to James Olsen and Isabelle Janette Parker Olsen.  To avoid confusion over his father’s name he went by his middle name Gary.  He was born at the family home in Ovid, Idaho on 28 Jun 1936 and raised on the family ranch.

Gary was an Eagle Scout and graduated from Fielding High School, Paris, ID, in 1954 with a strong interest in science.  He attended Utah State in Logan, Utah, and joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), training to be a future officer while going to school.

After two years of college, he was called on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where he served in Northern California and Nevada.  He first met his future wife Kathleen Mae Decker while on his mission in Nevada.

After his mission in 1958, Gary returned to school and continued his ROTC training at Brigham Young University.  While pursuing a degree in Physics and a minor in Mathematics, Gary also pursued Kathleen Decker who was going to the University of Utah at the time. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on 12 Aug 1960.

After graduation, Gary was trained as a pilot by the US Air Force and served to the rank of Captain.  He loved to fly, and was first stationed at Craig Air Force base in Alabama flying radar missions over Cuba before serving as a pilot in Vietnam.

Gary and Kathy began a family in 1961, and they had four children by the time he finished his military service in 1966.  He began a satisfying career with Western Airlines but continued to serve through the reserve air national guard from 1967 to 1969.  He flew out of the San Francisco airport until 1985 and then transferred to the Salt Lake City airport where he continued to fly as a pilot for Delta until he retired in 1996.  The generous flying benefits provided Gary with the opportunity to take his family on numerous vacation trips, Hawaii being the family favorite.

Gary served through many callings with the LDS Church and never allowed himself to be idle for long.  In addition to church callings, he stayed active through numerous hobbies including Model Trains and Airplanes, Chemistry, Astronomy, Shooting, Photography, Scuba diving/Snorkeling, Sailing, Tennis, Racquetball, Water skiing, Snow skiing, Hiking, Genealogy, and Computer electronics.  He liked to sing and whistle, make puzzles, listen to classical music, and eat a good meal.

He lost the love of his life, Kathleen, to cancer in 2010 and has been eager for the chance to be reunited with her ever since. Gary was a generous hard-working man, tenacious and organized, and always supportive of everyone he knew.  He will be greatly missed.

Gary is survived by his children: Robert (Donna), Lorraine (Steve), Richard, and Linda, grandchildren: Brandon, Brittany, Ashley and Charles (his mother Marilyn), Jesse (Alesha), Cody, Kurtis, siblings: Bonnie, Charles (Marsha) and Michael (Mona), as well as many in-laws, nieces, and nephews.