Gone But Not Forgotten
Honoring fallen comrades is an important part of the AOG mission and we ask to be notified as soon as possible of the death of any graduate, Air Training Officer or cadet so that we can take appropriate actions. The AOG has learned of the following deaths within the past 90 days.
For best results, try searching by Last Name (e.g. Smith), Class Year (e.g. 1959), or Cadet Squadron (e.g. CS-01). More complex searches may not return desired results.
Deceased on November 14, 2024 - Informed on November 26, 2024
Funeral service: 1000 hours on 5 December 2024, at the USAFA Cemetery, Colorado Springs, CO. Memorial donations: In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Parkinson's Foundation, https://www.parkinson.org/.
Deceased on August 17, 2024 - Informed on November 26, 2024
Celebration of Life: 1100 hours on 28 September 2024, at First Baptist Church of La Vernia, 201 S. Crews St., LaVernia, TX 78121. Inurnment: At the USAFA Cemetery at a later date. Obituary: https://www.finchfuneralchapels.com/memorials/grady-gaulke-maj-usaf-ret/5474731/index.php
Deceased on November 16, 2024 - Informed on November 25, 2024
Visitation: 1500 until 1700 hours on 1 December 2024, at the Doherty Funeral Home, 3200 Limestone Road, Wilmington, DE 19808. 1000 until 1130 hours 2 December 2024, at St. Matthew's Catholic Church, 901 East Newport Pike, Wilmington, DE 19804. Mass of Christian Burial: 1130 hours on 2 December 2024, at St. Matthew's Catholic Church, 901 East Newport Pike, Wilmington, DE 19804. A full military interment will follow at All Saints Cemetery, 6001 Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington, DE. Memorial donations: in lieu of flowers donations can be made to Hockey Fights Cancer at https://www.nhl.com/community/hockey-fights-cancer/, or to the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Colorectal Cancer Research at https://www.mskcc.org/research-programs/colorectal-cancer-research. Obituary: https://www.dohertyfh.com/obituary/Thomas-Rice#obituary
Deceased on October 28, 2024 - Informed on November 25, 2024
Memorial service: A funeral and memorial service will be held at a later date. Obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/pricecountyreview/name/thomas-herbst-obituary?id=56824307
Deceased date unknown - Informed on November 25, 2024
Service: A private service will be held. Obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/mdjonline/name/jon-nelson-obituary?id=56830030
Deceased on November 13, 2024 - Informed on November 19, 2024
Service details: 1300 hours on 11 December 2024 at the USAFA Cemetery. David "Dave" Joseph Boeck passed away on November 13, 2024 in MorningStar Memory Care at Bear Creek in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 5, 1940 to parents Joseph Boeck and Sylvia (nee Isleb) Boeck. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1963 as a Civil Engineer. He was stationed in Moses Lake, Washington and served overseas in Labrador, Newfoundland-Canada and was honorably discharged on June 4, 1969 at the rank of Captain. His awards and decorations include the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Longevity Service Award (one oak leaf cluster) and the National Defense Service Medal. He received a bachelor's degree of mechanical engineering from Marquette University in 1968 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He then received his master's degree of business administration from Marquette University in 1973. He was married to his childhood sweetheart Kathleen (nee Lowney) Simon from 1963 to 1985. He then found his second and final love and was married to Elaine Piwoni-Boeck from 1989 until her passing in 2019. Little known fact is that he has two patents in his name. He engineered computerized storage and retrieval systems. Some of the end-products (to name a few) were paint, cosmetics, calculators, and his last project involved pharmaceuticals. He loved working and truly missed it when he retired. One of his passions was photography and he spent numerous hours outside his back door in Divide, Colorado taking pictures of the majestic mountains. His other passions were geology and lapidary -spending hours rockhounding, flying personal aircraft, and scuba diving in the Caribbean and Pacific oceans. He is survived by his two children Lynnette (Chuck) Boeck-Lopushansky and Lisa Boeck-Jenkins; his grandchildren David and Lance Jenkins; his nephews Kevin (Kimberly) Boeck, Brian (Kathy) Boeck, and Michael (Rachel) Drake and their families; and his sister-in-laws Eleanore Piwoni, Jo-Ann Piwoni, and Susan Boeck. He is preceded in death by his wife Elaine, brother Arthur "Art", and his parents. A sincere thank you to all who tended to his care throughout the years to include all the team members at MorningStar Memory Care at Bear Creek (too many to list individually) and his healthcare teams from Bloom Health and Bloom Hospice. A special thank you to Quajaun "Q" and Angela Dersno who were his surrogate family and spent numerous hours providing him the love and comfort he needed. A formal burial with full military honors will take place at the United States Air Force Academy Cemetery at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, December 11, 2024. Reception to follow at the Eisenhower Golf Club at the Air Force Academy. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Class of '63 Memorial Fund, 529631. [Make checks payable to Air Force Academy Foundation, include note with intended fund (Class of '63 Memorial Fund, 529631) along with your first name, last name, email address, home address and who the gift is intended for. Mail to: Air Force Academy Foundation ATTN: Gift Processing 3116 Academy Drive USAF Academy, CO 90840-4475 To make a gift online, please follow this link: usafa.org/63memorial To send flowers to the family or plant a tree
Deceased on November 8, 2024 - Informed on November 18, 2024
Service details not available at this time. Memorial donations: In lieu of flowers donations can be made ot the Parkinson's Foundation at https://www.parkinson.org/ or to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research at https://www.michaeljfox.org/. Obituary: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/dallas-tx/richard-krobusek-12069621
Deceased on October 24, 2024 - Informed on November 18, 2024
Memorial service: 1100 hours on 25 November 2024 at Franklin First United Methodist Church, 120 Aldersgate Way, Franklin, TN 37069. A recepition will follow. Interment with miliatry honors will immediately follow at the Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, 7931 McCrory Lane, Nashville, TN 37221. Memorial donations: In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Friends of Warner Parks, warnerparks.org/support/tribute-gifts or mailed to Friends of Warner Parks, 50 Vaughn Rd, Nashville, TN 37221. Obituary: https://www.alternativecremationandfuneralservice.com/obituary/john-mcdonald
Deceased on October 27, 2024 - Informed on November 7, 2024
Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. Funeral Mass: 1100 hours on 7 November 2024, at the St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church, 1544 S Battlefield Blvd, Chesapeake, VA 23322. Obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/gary-pfeifer-obituary?id=56653012
Deceased on July 14, 2024 - Informed on November 7, 2024
Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence informaiton. Service details: 1300 hours on 29 July 2024, at Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery at North Little Rock,1501 West Maryland Avenue, North Little, AR 72120 Memorial donations: In lieu of flowers donations can be made to DAV (Disabled American Veterans) https://help.dav.org/page/51242/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=fund_prgm&en_txn6=DFN001AABLGALA&utm_campaign=fund&utm_medium=programmatic&utm_source=display&utm_content=legaacyclio, or to PVA (Paralyzed Veterans of America) https://secure.pva.org/?sc=website&mc=WEO23JN&segment-code=ZZZ&utm_source=legacy&utm_medium=legacy&utm_content=evergreen&utm_campaign=WEO23JN. Obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/dorman-reed-obituary?id=55689317.
Next of Kin
For Next of Kin support resources please visit: https://www.usafanextofkin.org/
Frequently Asked Questions
Gone But Not Forgotten Annual Publication
The Air Force Academy Association and Foundation are introducing a new benefit to better memorialize USAFA graduates and support their families. We are launching a new annual memorial publication in 2025.