Jerry Logan Pope
1930 ~ 2019
Captain Jerry Logan Pope, age 88 of Bloomington, MN, passed away on March 23, 2019. He was born May 29, 1930 in Atlanta, Georgia. Jerry was named after his mother, Geraldine Logan. His father, James Soule Pope, was editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal and the Atlanta Constitution newspapers. Like his father, Jerry had a talent for writing. For many years he wrote freelance articles and book reviews. He also read avidly, with favorite writers ranging from John D. MacDonald to Kate Atkinson and, later in life, the poet Emily Dickinson.
As a child, Jerry loved creating home monster movies with his beloved brothers, Jimmy and Logan. The family moved from Atlanta to Louisville, Kentucky, when Jerry was in high school, and he graduated from Louisville’s Male High (an all-boys school) in 1947. As a teen, he participated in boxing, coached by his older brother. Other interests he developed in early adulthood included deep sea fishing and skiing.
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Michael R. Butler
1940 ~ 2019
Captain Michael Richard Butler, Age 78, of East Aurora, died in his home on Sunday April 7 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Born in East Aurora, New York, August 5, 1940, the son of Barrett and Mary Butler. He was an independent Irishman, who did not have the career of the average Northwest Airlines pilot.
“I just always wanted a job” Growing up, he worked in a drug store, as paper boy, soda jerk, gas station attendant, and shipping clerk. He graduated from the University of Buffalo, class of 1962, with a degree in economics. In college he continued his avocations working for Bethlehem Steel, a machinist, printing for Life Magazine and Merrill Lynch as a billing clerk.
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George W. Groth Jr.
1939 ~ 2019
Captain George Groth, age 79, passed away March 2, 2019 after an extensive struggle with dementia. Born in Rochester, NY to George (Sr.) and Arlene Groth on October 10, 1939, he was the youngest of five siblings.
George attended elementary and high school in Rochester, New York where records testify that he was a good student and an excellent athlete. George’s main sport was baseball. When not on the baseball field, George found time to fish the local streams for trout. After high school George was admitted to the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, where he majored in history while undergoing rigorous military training. It wasn’t all drill and studies; George also excelled as a college baseball pitcher. He graduated with The Citadel class of 1961. Having completed the requirements of Air Force ROTC, he was commissioned an Air Force 2/Lt. and shortly was called to USAF active duty.
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Campbell, Peter F.
1943 ~ 2019
Captain Peter Campbell, age 76, passed away March 27, 2019 surrounded by family. Born at Fergus Falls, MN on February 7, 1943 to Christian and Eunice Campbell, Pete was the first born of five children including four sons and one daughter. He grew up in the Twin City area and graduated from Burnsville High School. As a high school student he played football, basketball and baseball. A classmate described Peter as….. “one of the best in the class, funny, fun to be around, cute, smart.” Pete was chosen by his classmates as the 1960 Burnsville High School Homecoming King.
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Lowell L. Stafford
1924 ~ 2019
Captain Lowell Stafford, age 95, passed away on June 13, 2019. Lowell was born at General Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 18, 1924 and was the second son for Albert and Bessie (Novotny) Stafford. His older brother was Sheldon Stafford who was employed as a mechanic for Northwest Airlines. His mother Bessie also was employed by Northwest as an equipment service woman.
Lowell was schooled in a one room schoolhouse in Bloomington, MN and graduated from Bloomington High School. While in high school he played football. After graduating, he enlisted right into the Army and was sent to Cookeville Tennessee to partake in his Basic Training. He was able to get into the Army Air Corp to begin his flight training that was the springboard to his long career in flying. Flight training was at Maxwell Field in Montgomery, Alabama and included a side trip to Columbus, Mississippi for parachute training. His Army career included stints at the Laredo Army Air Corp Field in Laredo, Texas and the Big Spring Army Airfield in Big Spring, Texas.
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Douglas S. Tremblay
1940 ~ 2019
Captain Douglas Tremblay, age 78, passed away on May 11, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Doug was born to parents Joyce and Roland Tremblay and raised in Lewiston, Maine. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire and having completed four years of Air Force ROTC training he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve.
Doug served on Air Force duty from 1962 to 1967 flying the KC-135 tanker. During these years he flew refueling missions over Vietnam. In 1967 Doug separated from the active Air Force to be hired by Northwest Airlines on August 07, 1967. His early years at NWA were pent with the traditional seat upgrades on the Boeing 727. Beginning in mid-career Doug also instructed for the NWA Training Department on the 727 and DC-10. He retired from now Delta Airlines on September 08, 2000 as a DC-10 captain.
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