Robert C. Ward, Colonel, USAF (Retired)
November 24, 1928 – November 02, 1985

Robert’s obituary has not been located, however the following newspaper story describes the circumstances of his passing.

~~Fliers search 3 states for retiree in missing homemade airplane~~

PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) – An air search over three states for a missing homemade plane yesterday failed to turn up any trace of the craft or its pilot, a retired Air Force Colonel, the Colorado Civil Air Patrol said.

The search for Robert C. Ward of Aurora began late Saturday.

Ward, in his late 50s, took off from Tri-County Airport at Erie, north of Denver, Saturday morning. He had filed a flight plan indicting a non-stop flight to Los Angeles, according to CAP spokeswoman LaTrelle Stock.

Stock said 10 CAP planes searched Ward’s proposed flight route south to Pueblo, then across the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to Alamosa and on to Farmington, N.M.

CAP planes in New Mexico and Arizona were searching Ward’s proposed flight route across those states, she said.

Published in the Arizona Daily Star, 05 Nov 1985, Tue-Page 38.

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Captain Ward served in the Vietnam War as a UH-1F pilot with the 606th ACS “Lucky Tiger” and the 20th Helicopter Sq. “Green Hornets” in the 1966-1967-time frame.