In Memoriam
Sherrell Patton
Today, January 14 14, 2023 was the Memorial Service for BBAPA Member Sherrell Patton. Attendance was jaw dropping with 300+ people there to say goodbye to this wonderful wife, daughter, co-worker and friend.
Senior Pastor Mike Barnes proclaimed that he not seen this many locals in his church at the same time in the past ten years. It was a true testament of how much Sherrell was recognized as being one of the most caring, cheerful and fun loving people in Big Bear. She will be soooo missed.
Rest in Peace Sherrell. We will all miss you.
Photos I've taken of Sherrell over the past many years can be viewed by clicking the link below:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/RGfduoENgfXjsU7V6
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A Memorial Service for Sherrell Patton, loving wife to Joe Patton and beloved daughter of Roger Schmidt, will be held at Community Church Big Bear, 40946 Big Bear Blvd, Big Bear Lake, CA on Saturday, January 14th, at 11AM.
Sherrell left us on Wednesday December 21, 2022 due to illness. She was one of the most vibrant, enthusiastic and caring members of the Association and she will be sorely missed.
Photos of Sherrell: https://photos.app.goo.gl/RGfduoENgfXjsU7V6
If you would like to add your comments to this section of her memorial page, please email them to donshade@aol.com and I will add them here:
Bob Hartunian
Sherrell and Joe Patton were active members of the Pilots Assn at our airport. Sherrell was a Young Eagles worker for years, helping to organize planes and pilots to fly the kids each summer month. And Joe always made himself available for last-minute duties cooking food and cleaning up the Fuselodge building for dinners. Sherrell would come to Roger’s hangar and listen to us banter about some issue just for the sake of conversation. And she would dismiss us as grumpy old men having a good time, taking her leave with a laugh and a smile. She added humor and sincerity to our lives. I really miss her.
Nancy Varga
This is shocking and VERY sad news!!! I am so sorry to hear this I was always looking forward to seeing her at events and anywhere in town her loving fun and happy spirit was always there with hugs XOX God Bless you Sherrell and everyone that loved you, you left this earth way too soon ! God takes the best in HIS time, your family and friends will miss you GREATLY they are in my prayers and heart as you are. Spread your wings sweet friend while you rest for eternity in heaven. Divine Blessings,
Nancy Varga
Ken Campbell
Sandy and I remember Sherrell well. She was always up and wanted to help. We are holding Roger in our prayers it is not the way it should be, a parent should never lose a child.
Mary McMahon
This is so sad to hear. Thank you for letting us know.
Richard Foat
Sherrell was of enormous help to the Young Eagle program. We will all miss her. The pilots ......The kids especially.
Jolan Valo
Wishing Roger and Joe the strength in these difficult days and hoping that with time, peace will heal and comfort your hearts.
Regards,
Jolan Valo
Susan Newman Harrison
How sad. Too young. 😔
Donald Shade
ALWAYS Smiling..... I'll miss that so much.
In Memoriam
Steve Mangels
A Celebration of Life for Steve Mangels will be held at St. Joseph's Catholic Church on Saturday, October 15th at 11AM.
The church is located at 42242 North Shore Dr. in Big Bear Lake, CA 92315. Parish Office: (909) 866-3030
Reception to follow in the hall.
Interment will be held on October 22nd at 9:30 AM:
Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Good Shepherd Faith Room West
69855 Ramon Rd.
Cathedral City, CA 92234
(760) 328 3140
In Memoriam
Butch Waymire
Thorne “Butch” Lee Waymire died flying his aerobatic airplane in Lucerne Valley on Thursday morning, June 2, 2022.
Butch recently retired as an American Airlines Pilot. He was a past member of the BBAPA and previous Airport Director. We express our deepest condolences to Butch's family and friends.
The fatal crash happened around 11:35 a.m. on a property in the 36000 block of Harvest Moon Street near Highway 247.
Waymire, a 66-year-old Big Bear resident, was piloting his Meyer Fred Hornet single-seat acrobatic plane (not the same aircraft as shown) when it crashed. He was the only person aboard the aircraft and died in the crash.
The SBC Sheriff’s Aviation, the Federal Aviation Association and the National Transportation and Safety Board are investigating.
In Memoriam
Arlan Lynch
It deeply saddens me to report that Arlan Lynch passed away earlier this morning, Monday, September 27, 2021.
THE STAFF OF THE SHERIFFS’ RELIEF ASSOCIATION IS SADDENED TO ANNOUNCE THE PASSING OF RETIRED DEPUTY ARLAN E. LYNCH. HE PASSED AWAY ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2021.
ARLAN JOINED THE SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT ON JANUARY 15, 1970. HE RETIRED FROM AERO BUREAU ON MARCH 4, 1981. ARLAN WAS A MEMBER OF ACADEMY CLASS 140.
ARLAN WAS A VETERAN AND SERVED IN THE MARINES.
FUNERAL MASS:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2021, AT 8:00 AM
ST. JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC CHURCH
42242 N. SHORE DR.
BIG BEAR LAKE, CA 92314
MILITARY HONORS:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2021, AT 10:30 AM
BIG BEAR LAKE VETERAN’S PARK
40870 BIG BEAR BLVD.
BIG BEAR LAKE, CA 92315
CONDOLENCES CAN BE SENT TO THE FAMILY VIA HIS SON, KEVIN, AT:
P.O. BOX 1998
BIG BEAR CITY, CA 92314
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Arlan was preceded in death by his wife Jane on September 17, 2018. Both were VERY active members in the Big Bear Airport Pilots Association.
Arlan was a retired Deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Aero Bureau and flew helicopters for many years with that agency.
Photos of Arlan:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uhCV4FWuryv181Wm8
- Vincent J Hewitt Jr S o sorry to hear...
- Joan Willis We are so sorry..prayers to his family
- Steve Castillo My love, prayers, and condolences to his many friends and family.
- Roxann Shade RIP Arlan
- Donald Shade 10-7 End of Watch - Gonna Miss You Arlan!
- GhostTown Tom Arlan was real 'character ', i enjoyed him immensely, going to miss him.
- Steve Hirschler
prayers to his family. - Steven Baker Arlan was a GOOD man... Always had a twinkle in his eye and a great smile.... He's the kind of person that leaves a lasting impact and fond memories.
- Susie Newman-Harrison RIP Sir.
- Dan Easterby Our thoughts go out to the LYNCH family
- Joe Vonesh Lots of great years!!!
In Memoriam
Joel Hall
A memorial service for Joel was held 11:00 AM Saturday, April 24th at the Journey Church, off Hwy 38, 800 Greenspot Blvd. Big Bear City, CA 92314 (909)585-4428
https://thejourneychurchbigbear.com/
_________________________________________________________
It's with a great sense of sadness that I share with you that BBAPA Charter Member Joel Hall passed away yesterday evening, Monday, March 15th, 2021.
Ruthann let me know this afternoon and asked that I let you know that his courageous, painful battle with cancer is now over.
The many of you who knew Joel personally most certainly share the great sense of loss to our Pilots Association and the Big Bear Community.
Joel, with Ruthann always at his side, were so supportive of BBAPA activities and especially our Young Eagles Program.
For the past many days, Ruthann has been, and is currently, being supported by her kids at her Big Bear City home.
A memorial will be held at a later date and will be announced once planning is completed. Condolences can be mailed to:
Ruthann Hall
P.O. Box 46
Big Bear City, CA 92314
CONDOLENCES:
Bob Hartunian
I am so saddened to hear of Joe’s passing. He was such a talented man with his welding skills and could fix anything I broke on plane. Just a fine gentleman that I will miss. Bob H
Susie Newman
Oh how sad. Thank you for letting us know. Susan
Jonathan Burnette
Do you have a picture of him?
Awww I remember him now. He was such a nice guy!
Thank you
Jerry Muszynski
Our Prayers to his family.
With Sorrow, Jerry
Richard Foat
Joe became ill last Spring and has been progressively getting worse. Joe was truly a gentle man
Ken Dally
Sad. Joel was a nice, quiet man. Ken
In Memoriam
Harold Parker
Obituary Requested
In Memoriam
Jane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch
April 13, 1935 - September 17, 2018
Jane Marie Lynch, 83, a resident of Big Bear City from 1982-2017, passed peacefully on Monday, September 17, 2018, at Desert Valley Hospital in Victorville.
She was born on April 13, 1935, in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in South Greensburg, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Greensburg High School in 1953 and moved to California in 1955. She worked for Gordon’s Office Supplies in City of Industry, CA from 1969 to 1996. She retired in 1996.
Jane was a devout Catholic and an active parishioner at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Big Bear Lake, CA, where she was a member since her arrival in Big Bear in 1982. She served on the Bereavement Committee and regularly assisted with numerous annual parish events. She took great comfort in her faith and was a spiritual inspiration to all who knew her. In addition to her service with the Catholic church,
Jane was also active in the Big Bear Airport Pilot’s Association and Young Eagles youth aviation program. Above all, Jane’s love of family knew no bounds; she enjoyed entertaining, cooking for, laughing with, and loving her very large family, whenever the opportunity arose.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Mike and Josephine Yurcevich, her brothers Thomas, George, Frank, and Joseph; her stepson, Gregory Lynch; her son Thomas Baird; and her step-grandson, Daniel DiBenedetto. She is survived by her beloved husband of 36 years, Arlan E. Lynch; her children: Susan (Baird) DiBenedetto and her husband, Emanuele, of Helendale, CA; and Eddie Baird and his wife Monique of Tomball, TX; her step-children: Teresa Lynch of Big Bear City, CA; Tammy (Lynch) Kearn and her husband, Kevin, of Huntington Beach, CA; Susan (Lynch) Houser and her husband, Leonard, of Tulare, CA; Anthony Lynch and his wife, Kristin, of Williamsburg, VA; Sean Lynch and his wife, Anastasia, of Juneau, AK; Kevin Lynch of Big Bear City, CA; Terrance Lynch and his wife, Rachel, of Claremont, CA. In addition, she is survived by thirty grandchildren, nineteen great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, and countless friends and extended family members.
Services were held on Monday, September 24, 2018, at Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery and Mortuary, 2161 S. Fullerton Rd., Rowland Heights, CA. Visitation from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.; Funeral Mass in the chapel from 12:00-1:00 p.m., followed by a graveside service, which will conclude at 1:45 p.m. Relatives and friends invited.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to charity of your choice. For online condolences visit http://www.queenofheavenmortuary.org/
In Memoriam
Joe Logan
Obituary Needed
In Memoriam
Jim Rose
When I arrived at the airport as a retiree in 2002 building my Pulsar, most of the pilots/builders congregated at Jim Rose’s X-7 hangar at all times of the day.
There was a white plastic table with chairs around and everyone was welcome. Jim (JR) was a serious airplane builder for years and was then creating a Glastar kitplane with his high skill level every day for several years. The “watchers” would sit at the table and kibitz to JR about how to build the plane. JR learned that if you wanted to make building progress, you had to ignore the crowd and continue as if they weren’t there. He would purposely turn his back and told the guys to entertain yourselves, which they did by generating topics of discussion that most knew little about. But it was done with humor and kidding and everyone loved the environment.
JR was a retiree from Rocketdyne in the San Fernando Valley, working in Logistics there. During his career, he worked in Huntsville, AL with Von Braun, the rocket man to the Moon. JR was assigned to the Team with a handheld device which would blowup any of Von Braun’s rockets that went astray from their targeted path. Jim had to demolish many rockets but he and Von Braun still got along.
JR owned apartments in the Valley and took us down one day for show and tell. I was amazed at his skills in making stained glass windows that were installed in his apartments.
He eventually was diagnosed with Parkinson’s that gradually diminished his ability to work with hands but friends like Garry Steube stepped in to complete his projects.
JR had anxiety about winds aloft that would hinder his willingness to fly. He would look across the taxiway of the hangar at the slowly turning roof vents and declare that it was too windy to fly. Then a debate would start and he would reluctantly fly his plane, N34VT, which he did perfectly as if there was no wind at all. It was all in his head and we laughed at his attitude.
JR passed in August 2014. He was 79.
- Bob Hartunian
In Memoriam
Bill Jones
Bill Jones was retired as a Police Lieutenant with the Baldwin Park Police Department in California. He and his wife Phyliss were long time residents of Sugarloaf and very active BBAPA Members.
Bill was a certified flight instructor and was very active in the that role doing bi-annual flight reviews for many BBAPA members.
It was not uncommon to see Bill and Phyliss riding through town together on their motor-scooter.
Of all the CFIs at Big Bear, the one who stands out for me is Bill Jones because of his skills and patience.
When I finished the Pulsar, I took it around the pattern and got down poorly and scared myself. The guys at JR’s hangar suggested
I get Bill to fly with me and get comfortable with the plane. We took off together and did circuits around the airport until I could fly and land reliably. Bill didn’t raise his voice when you made a mistake but coached you with suggestions on how to improve your technique.
That took 2 1/2 hrs with Bill who signed me off. I’ve been flying for 1400 hrs since and always appreciated his teaching abilities.
When I flew to Kansas for a builder’s reunion, Bill came by and told me how proud he was that one of his students actually used skills he developed to fly long cross-country flights.
Bill was a true gentleman and a great teacher.
I miss his quiet demeanor.
Bill Jones memorial service was held Sat March 18th, 2017 at the First Baptist Church of Big Bear Valley.
In Memoriam
Dr. Ed Smith
Dr. Ed Smith was meticulous with thought and work. Before he would do anything, it had to be studied and searched for alternative paths and solutions and finally implemented if it passed scrutiny.
Somehow, Dalton and Ed were hangar partners for 20 years and managed to get along in spite of completely opposite personality differences.
Ed built a Kitfox high-wing with a Rotax 912 engine like mine in the Pulsar. We flew to Hesperia airport at least once a week to the great restaurant there. Ed would fly at full throttle and I would fly just above stall to keep pace at 80 mph. We would order breakfast from the “Kid’s Menu” because we wanted to minimize how many eggs and calories we ate. Pretty soon, the waitresses had a board on the wall for daily specials and they added our Senior Light breakfast which became popular with older folks.
Ed was a reputed surgeon who developed a special technique for hip replacement still used today.
When the Lakers would be in the playoffs and Ed’s wife Shirley was away down the hill at a church function, Ed would call and invite me to watch the game. He would mix Highballs, a combination of whisky and 7 Up, and we would root loudly for the Lakers. Sometimes, he would cook all day long and make great midwestern food and invite JR and Russ Cronk and me. We ate and drank and made many jokes before Shirley came home.
I still miss those dinners at Ed’s.
Dr. Ed passed in August 2010. He was 79.
- Bob Hartunian
In Memoriam
Barbara Koza
November 11, 1935 - September 8, 2008
Barbara Ruth Koza was a resident of Big Bear City from 1992 to 2008. She was born on November 11th 1935 in Venice Beach, California and raised in Inglewood, CA.
Barbara graduated from Morningside High School in 1954 and was married to Myron Kozafor 54 years.
Family: Daughter Karen Koza-Vannoy and Son Jeffrey Koza and six grandchildren.
Barbara managed their family owned Wishing Well Motel along with Myron for 19 years. She was Soroptimist President for a year and was also active in the Big Bear Airport Pilots Association with the Young Eagles Program.
Barbara attained 100% on her Ground School Course at Long Beach Airport and logged 2,100 hours as co-pilot with Myron Koza in their Cessna 182.
In Memoriam
Dalton Davies
Now there was another icon, Dalton Davies, the retired electronics technician from Rockwell who was a genius at troubleshooting avionics and mechanical airplane issues.
Whereas JR was a perfectionist, Dalton’s philosophy was “just make it good enough.”
He also built planes like the MiniMax low and slow plane and before his passing in 2006, he would enlist me to come over to his hangar to reach some difficult place and drill a hole.
Dalton would call on the cell and ask for help, then drive down and pick me up. But his passenger car seat was filled with used Kleenex so he would swipe an arm over the seat and clear them onto the floor so I could squeeze in.
Dalton had several chairs in the south-facing hangar where we congregated and he would drive to Circle K each morning for a Coke in the large red cup which they were obligated to refill over and over each day.
He would drive the old El Camino truck with a noisy muffler back and forth in winter or summer just to keep the cup full.
Dalton passed in September 2006. He was 79.
- Bob Hartunian
In Memoriam
Dean Carson
It is with great sorrow and sadness that the Carson family must inform you of the untimely passing of Dean Wm. Carson, President of Transit Sales International and Shuttle Bus Leasing of Riverside CA.
Dean was an active member of the BBAPA. Mr. Carson, an experienced pilot, passed away as a result of an accident involving his single engine airplane during his daily commute to his residence in Big Bear,
A third generation bus industry veteran Dean was known for his unrivaled passion for the industry surpassed only by his dedication and devotion to his family and friends and his passion for life.
In his business life Dean leaves behind a legacy of hard work, creativity and thinking outside the box, all of which resulted in the creation of innovative and successful business ventures.
While his shoes can never be filled, the businesses that he was so instrumental in creating will continue to operate under the leadership of his dedicated employees and management team.
Dean is survived by his loving wife Diane, his adoring adult children David, Kyle and Katie as well as his beloved mother Carol, his brother and long time business partner Dale and his wife Terri Carson, his sister and her husband Dawn and Jim O'Keefe.
In Memoriam
Bob McNutt
The first BBAPA Board of Directors were: Ken Dally - President, Roger Schmidt – Vice President, Garry Dokter – Treasurer, Mary Jo Jahn – Secretary, Dick Dedge – Sergeant at Arms (we wouldn’t allow him to carry a gun), Jim Rose and Bob McNutt – Directors at Large.
Bob was of three men killed in November 2006 when a plane crashed near Big Bear Lake .
The Cessna in which McNutt was riding fell from the sky and crashed in a fireball at the southwest edge of the lake at about 10:15 a.m. Tuesday.
McNutt, 62, was president of a technology company in Fullerton and the founder of the Fullerton Airport Pilots Association. He was active in the Fullerton Rotary and served as a member of the Muckenthaler Board of Trustees.
McNutt and his wife, Susan, retired to Big Bear in 2001. He continued his work with Rotary, serving as president of the Big Bear chapter from 2002 to 2004.
Friends said McNutt was on his way from Big Bear City Airport to Las Vegas to see a show when the plane went down shortly after takeoff, killing his friend Bob Cartwright and the plane’s pilot, whose name has not been released.
McNutt was survived by his wife.