Belated news, as noted in ALPA’s In Memoriam column,
the passing of NWA Capt. Dennis L. Koehn……….
~ IN MEMORY ~
USAF veteran, NWA Capt. Dennis Lynn Koehn
January 29, 1946 - March 19, 2019
Northwest pilot Captain Dennis Lynn Koehn, age 73, was born/raised
in Oklahoma and following his military service joined Northwest Airlines 07-08-1988. Captain Koehn is survived by his wife Judith
and their children.
Obituary information and photos may be viewed online at
Arrangements were entrusted to Moss Feaster Funeral Home and
Cremation of Dunedin, Florida.
For those wishing to contact the family, the most recent
address is listed in whitepages as
4047 Carlyle Lakes
Blvd # B , Palm Harbor, FL 34685.
Thank you,
~ Carol for the PCN
Obituary for Dennis L. Koehn
Dennis L. Koehn was born January 29th, 1946 in Carnegie
Oklahoma to Lloyd and Rosetta Unruh Koehn. He attended elementary and high
school in Chickasha, Oklahoma. He graduated from Oklahoma State University and
received his commission from the Air Force ROTC program in 1968. Dennis then
realized his dream of flying by earning his wings at Vance Air Force Base in
Oklahoma in March 1969. He completed two tours in South East Asia in the F-4,
flying a total of 450 missions. He was then assigned to fly the F-5 at Williams
AFB in Arizona from 1972 to 1979. While there he was an instructor pilot for
students from around the world. He trained pilots from Iran, South Vietnam,
Taiwan, Brazil, Jordan, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and others. In 1979 Dennis
transferred to Nellis AFB in Nevada where he worked primarily with test
programs. In 1983 he was assigned to Myrtle Beach AFB, South Carolina to fly
the A-10. During that time he participated in Red Flag exercises where he
excelled. His military decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross with
4 Oak Leaf Clusters, Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Air
Medal with 34 Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Air Force Commendation Medal with one
Oak Leaf Cluster.
Dennis retired from the Air Force in 1988 and began his
second career flying with Northwest Airlines, first in the Boeing 727, then in
the DC-10, and he retired as a captain on the Airbus A320 in January 2006.
During this time he flew to Amsterdam, London, Paris, Mumbai, Beijing, and many
other international destinations.
After his second retirement Dennis took a course from
H&R block with the intention of being a tax consultant but decided he would
find it more rewarding to volunteer with AARP Tax Preparers. He found working
with this organization tremendously satisfying and made dear friends. Dennis
also joined the Pinellas Pilots Association to feed his passion for flying.
Again, he made many friends. Dennis used his access to a PPA Cessna to get
involved with Young Eagles which offers free flights to area children who might
not have an opportunity otherwise. He loved their excitement and enthusiasm. He
also was an elections clerk for Pinellas County until an illness in 2014 left
him unable to continue. Volunteering with Special Olympics volleyball for several
years was another of his joys.
Dennis met his wife, Judith in Arizona between South East
Asian tours in 1971.They were married a year later. They welcomed Deborah to
the family while he was stationed at Williams AFB in 1976. Jeffrey joined them
in 1980 while they lived in Nevada.
Dennis is predeceased by his parents and his brother,
Kenneth. He’s survived by his wife of 46 years, Judith, daughter Deborah of
Tarpon Springs and son Jeffrey of Pinellas Park, his sister Marita Gortney and
nephew Rick Gortney and his wife Shaun of Oklahoma.
Dennis passed away Tuesday March 19th. There will be a
celebration of Dennis’s life at Moss Feaster Funeral Home in Dunedin on April
13th from 12:00 to 2:00. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations in
his memory be made to Oklahoma State University or the charity of your choice.
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