~ IN MEMORY ~
WA/DL PILOT, CDR Lewis E. HOYT, USNR (Ret) / (Maj
USMC)
June 20, 1943 — September 10, 2025
………. sad duty to inform you that in the early
morning of Wednesday, 10 September 2025, Golden Eagle CDR Lewis E. “Jumper”
HOYT, USNR (Ret), made his Last Take Off in Sedona, AZ, with his wife Nancy by
his side. Jumper was 82 years of age………………
Lewis Eugene Hoyt joined Western Airlines
08-07-1978 and retired with Delta Air Lines in 2003. The Hoyts Sedona residence
is listed as 316 Calle Linda, Sedona,
AZ 86336.
PCN memorial site
https://www.greersmortuaryofsedona.com/obituaries/lewis-hoyt
From Marty Chanik, on behalf of The Golden Eagles:
It is my sad duty to inform you that in the early
morning of Wednesday, 10 September 2025, Golden Eagle CDR Lewis E. “Jumper”
HOYT, USNR (Ret), made his Last Take Off in Sedona, AZ, with his wife Nancy by
his side. Jumper was 82 years of age.
To be very clear to all our members, and as I am
sure Jumper would say, he was first, foremost, and always a proud Marine, and
part of our Golden Eagle Marine contingent. When he left active duty as a Major
after 12 years in the Marine Corps, he joined the Navy Reserves so he could
continue flying fighters out of NAS Miramar, eventually retiring as a USNR
officer, hence his official title of CDR USNR (Ret). While also proud to serve
in the Navy Reserves, his heart and soul was the Marine Corps.
Jumper was born in Glendale, CA, in June 1943.
Growing up in nearby San Marino, he attended San Marino High School. He was a
standout athlete — Captain of the football and track teams, and won the
California Championship in the high jump, topping 6 feet, 8 inches. He was also
a student body officer and excellent student, graduating in 1961. He earned
both football and track scholarships to the University of Southern California,
which he attended, and made the Dean’s List for all four years he was there. In
1963, while at USC, he won the National Collegiate Championship in the high
jump and was selected to the All-American College Track and Field Team. He was
the Captain of the USC track team for two years, and one of the first in the
nation to exceed 7 feet in the high jump. Jumper was also a member, as an
alternate, on two USA Olympic teams, 1964 and 1968. He graduated from USC with
a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology — he would later add a Master of
Science in Systems Engineering also from USC, earned during off-duty hours
while in the Marine Corps.
While at USC Jumper decided he would become a
Marine Aviator. He enrolled in the USMC Officers Candidate School (OCS)
program, winning the Commandant’s Trophy as the number one graduate and setting
new records in the Physical Fitness Test (PFT) and obstacle course.
Commissioned in July 1967, he reported to NAS Pensacola, FL, in December 1967
to VT-1, beginning his flight training in the T-34B Mentor. Reporting to NAS
Meridian, MS, in March 1968 he commenced basic jet training flying the
T-2A/T-2B Buckeye for one year before reporting to VT-4 back at Pensacola for
air-to-air gunnery and carrier qualification in the T-2B. In June 1969 he
reported to NAS Beeville, TX, for advanced jet training in the TAF-9J Cougar,
finishing as the number one graduate and earning his Wings of Gold on 14
November 1969.
Jumper next reported to the VMFAT-101
Sharpshooters, the F-4 Phantom II RAG at MCAS El Toro in April 1970. Completing
the transition syllabus for the Phantom II, Jumper joined his first fleet
squadron in August 1970, the VMFA-531 Grey Ghosts, at MCAS El Toro, CA, flying
the F-4. Fellow Golden Eagles Fokker RIETSCH and Stick RICHARD were also in the
squadron, serving as mentors to Jumper. In August 1971 Jumper reported to the
VMFA-
232 Red Devils, based at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan,
flying the F-4J. Deploying to Da Nang, Vietnam, in April 1972 for approximately
3 months before redeploying to Nam Phong, Thailand, the squadron was engaged in
combat operations in Vietnam. During this time Jumper flew 30 combat missions
prior to departing for his next assignment in July 1972, reporting back to El
Toro to serve as the aide to the Assistant Wing Commander, 3rd Marine Air Wing.
Completing that one year assignment, he joined the VMFA-323 Death Rattlers in
July 1973, again flying the F-4 from MCAS El Toro. The squadron was commanded
by Golden Eagle Lancer SULLIVAN, another mentor to Jumper.
After two years in the squadron, Jumper received
orders to TOPGUN to serve as an instructor, reporting to NAS Miramar, in July
1975, where he flew the T- 38 Talon, A-4E Skyhawk, and F-5E/F Tiger II. In
those three plus busy years, he had the opportunity for multiple experiences
flying with both U.S. and foreign aviators. He hosted at his home two Israeli
fighter pilots while they attended the five week TOPGUN syllabus, and he made
several training detachments to other foreign countries — flying and instructing
with Canadian air force F-5s, F-104s, and F-18s, Dutch F-5s and F-104s,
Egyptian F-4s, Mirage 5s, Mirage 2000s, and Mig-21s, and Kuwaiti A-4Ms, Hawker
Hunters, and Mirage F-1s. Finally, when a trip fell through, he took leave and
funded his own trip to Israel to fly and instruct with their F-4s, KFIRs, and
Mirage 3s and 5s. He finished his tour in TOPGUN participating in what was then
the highly classified Project Have Idea, now declassified, the exploitation and
use as adversaries of Mig-17 and Mig-21 aircraft.
Jumper completed his active-duty time with the
Marine Corps in October 1979, transitioning to the Navy Reserve where he joined
VF-302 at NAS Miramar, flying the F-4N and F-4S for the next five years. He
also joined Western Airlines, and then Delta Airlines for a 25-year career as a
commercial airline pilot.
In his twelve years of active duty with the
Marines, Jumper accumulated 4,441 hours of flight time, with a heavy emphasis
on air combat maneuvering (ACM) as the above paragraphs note. He also had a
significant amount of time not logged due to flying with other countries. He
had a single combat tour in Vietnam, with 30 missions flown and was awarded
five Strike/Flight Air medals. Without question, he was a superb tactician,
aviator, and an expert in the realm of ACM, with world-wide current experience.
His subsequent career as an airline pilot would add another 15,000 hours of
flight time to his logbook. Clearly, he was born to fly. As he stated to many,
he was very proud and humbled to be a Golden Eagle.
Jumper married the love of his life, Nancy, in
August 2000. They permanently settled in Sedona, AZ, in 2003, from San Diego,
when he retired from Delta Airlines. Jumper and Nancy were very active in the
Sedona community, with Jumper coaching, mentoring, and motivating students at
Sedona Red Rock High School. He was a member of the Sedona 30, a charitable
service association that improves the community through financial support to
nonprofit organizations. He was founder and chairman of the Sedona Miracle, a now
annual fund-raising event that supports local nonprofits. In 2006, Jumper was
Sedona’s “Citizen of the Year.” Remarkably, this was a year after he fought and
survived a hard battle with throat and tongue cancer. In their quest to
continue to give back and promote youth education, Jumper and Nancy have
created two endowments to the Sedona Red Rock High School that supports both
academic and athletic programs, as well as funding several other endowments
supporting student scholarships and teacher supplies support. They have also
made a generous estate gift to Kappa Alpha, Jumper’s fraternity, in a
commitment to funding leadership and education.
Jumper is survived by his beloved wife, Nancy, and
his brother Paul. Memorial services are in the planning stage, and those
details will be provided in a Special Notice when known.
He will be missed.
In sadness,
Marty CHANIK
Pilot
================================================================================================================
From Matt Corney, on behalf of Scorpion Booster
Club
It is with deep sadness that we share the passing
of Lew Hoyt — a devoted mentor, volunteer, and true community champion. Lew was
a National Collegiate Champion in the high jump and an alternate on the U.S.
teams in the 1960s; he served our country as a Marine fighter pilot and later
as a TOPGUN instructor, then spent decades as a commercial airline captain.
After surviving cancer, Lew and his wife Nancy gave generously to local
students and teachers (including the “Empowering Kids” scholarships and other endowments),
and Lew spent countless hours coaching and encouraging Sedona Red Rock High
School athletes — treating our students like his own.
As Lew often said:
“Surround yourself with people who inspire you.
Believe, set goals, and work harder than other people. If you want to be
average, just do what everybody else does. That’s how you learn to be the best
that you can be.”
We are forever grateful for his service, his
generosity, and the countless lives he lifted up. His example of excellence and
service will continue to inspire our students and community.
