Robert G. Oake Sr., Lt. Colonel, USAF (Retired)
June 05, 1925 – May 10, 2023

Lt. Col. (USAF Retired) Robert “Bob” G. Oake, Sr., was a fighter pilot, helicopter instructor pilot, and contract negotiator.

On May 10, 2023, he slowly slipped the surly bonds of Earth and passed peacefully into eternal life surrounded by his loving family at home.

Bob was born June 5, 1925, in Detroit, Michigan, to Arthur John and Mary Burgess Magee Oake. He was the youngest of three children.

Bob possessed a naturally cheerful disposition, which somehow survived his mother’s dying when he was less than two years old. He started delivering newspapers during the Great Depression when he was nine and worked many jobs before graduating from high school – including candy store clerk and machinist in a defense factory. Growing up, Bob spent countless hours reading the aviator book series “G-8 and his Battle Aces” and dreamed of one day flying fighters and doing aerial acrobatics. He enjoyed playing baseball, was active in scouting, and built and flew many balsa wood model airplanes.

Bob graduated from Northwestern High School in June 1943 during World War II and immediately enlisted in the Army Air Corps Cadet program. He graduated (class 44-J) as a 2nd Lieutenant fighter pilot and was assigned to fly P-51D Mustangs at the end of World War II after his superiors observed his gift for acrobatics and accuracy in aerial gunnery. After the war ended, Bob signed up for the Air Corps Reserve, returned to Detroit, and entered Michigan State University under the GI Bill. He worked at Ford Motor Company in production management to finance his education. In 1951, during the Korean War, Bob was recalled and assigned to Bell Helicopter in Niagara Falls, New York as a production officer and helicopter acceptance pilot for the Air Force.

He finished his Pre-Law degree at the University of Buffalo. While in Buffalo, New York, Bob met the love of his life, the beautiful Janet Marie Alford. They were married on December 6, 1952, in Tonawanda, New York, and had three children, Deborah, Robert Jr., and Linda. During his first year of marriage, Bob was transferred to Goose Bay Labrador Air Base, Canada, to support numerous United States radar sites.

He flew as a bush pilot in a small ski airplane and survived many interesting experiences in snowstorms, ice storms, and fog. During Winter Survival School, Bob lived in makeshift tepees on top of six feet of snow at -20 degrees below zero and ate what he could catch and kill. Bob then transferred to Sikorsky in Connecticut and worked as a helicopter production test pilot. Following Sikorsky, Bob transferred to Avco Lycoming, a manufacturer of Minuteman and Titan intercontinental missile components, where he was awarded the Air Force Missileman Badge in recognition of his management and production skills. In 1962, Bob was assigned to an accompanied family tour in Tachikawa, Japan, as a Procurement Region Project Officer. In 1964, he was appointed chief of the Tachikawa Base Operations Helicopter Section, which supported the Numazu water survival school – hoisting pilots out of the water, jumping paratroopers, and providing VIP airlift in the Tokyo area.

While in Japan, Bob, Jan, and their three young children traveled extensively to many sites and shrines, and Bob climbed Mt. Fuji at night with an ongoing elevation branded Fuji stick to witness the morning sunrise. Following the family’s three-year tour in Japan, Bob was assigned to the Photo Mapping Wing at Turner AFB in Georgia, which at the time was mapping Ethiopia. He was fascinated by the local tribesman, African animals and geography, and felt like he had traveled back in time. Bob’s last assignment before retiring from the Air Force was Helicopter Operations Officer and Flight Instructor at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, Texas. He enjoyed the challenge and considered it his best career assignment. Bob was blessed to reconnect with and make many lifelong friends at the school. Bob retired on November 1, 1968, after 25 years of service as a Command Pilot, with over 4500 flight hours in over thirty types of aircraft and helicopters.

After retiring, Bob worked for Texas Instruments in Richardson, Texas negotiating large military equipment contracts. Following TI, he worked for Nortel in charge of subcontract installations of telecommunications equipment. Bob loved traveling, and during this time, he traveled extensively in Europe with his family.

Following retirement from Nortel in 1990, he established a successful legal investigative firm servicing various law firms, including his son’s. Bob was keenly interested in genealogy and traced his family tree back to 1550 in Devon and Cornwall, England. He discovered his ancestors first arrived in colonial America in 1624 on the ship New Netherland.

In retirement, Bob stayed active with tennis, golf, sailing, and scuba diving. He got his high by periodically going to the local airport, renting a plane, and shooting a few touch-and-go take-offs and landings. In addition, he enjoyed sailing his 31-foot sailboat “Anastasia” on the local lake. Bob’s early daily routine was reading the daily paper, drinking coffee at a nearby coffee shop with friends, and then working out at a local health club. If ever asked how he was doing, it was always “never better.” He felt blessed that his three children lived in the Dallas area, each having a weekly lunch or dinner with him. Bob lived a long and happy life and accomplished many things, but he often said he was proudest of his family, which he always put first.

Bob was preceded in death by his wife Janet, who passed on April 15, 2001, his father Arthur J. Oake, mother Mary B. Oake, brother Arthur B. Oake, and sister Dorothy O. Whipple. He is survived by his daughter Deborah Coffey (husband Mike), son Robert G. Oake, Jr. (wife Kim), daughter Linda Dorsey (husband Kipper), eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Bob’s memorial service will be held at DFW National Cemetery on June 1, 2023, at 1:30 pm, where he will be interred in a columbarium beside his wife, Janet.

The family of Lt. Col. Robert G. Oake would like to extend their gratitude to the medical professionals who provided care and support while he suffered from congestive heart failure, and during his final days. Their dedication and compassion are greatly appreciated.