NWA/DL Capt. Bradley Root

 

~ IN MEMORY ~

USAF veteran, NWA/DL Capt. Bradley Root

April 29, 1956 ~ May 7, 2026

 

Captain Bradley “Brad” Vohn Root, aviator, husband and man in command, passed peacefully……………. Captain Root joined Northwest Airlines 12-08-1989 and retired with Delta Air Lines in 2021. Bradley is survived by his wife Cathy and had most recently resided in Sarasota, Florida.

Services for Captain Root will be held at the Sarasota National Cemetery in Sarasota.

PCN memorial site  

 

https://www.heraldtribune.com/obituaries/psar1478111

Bradley V. Root, aviator, husband and man in command, passed peacefully on May 7, 2026, at 70 years old. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Mary Ellen Harrison Root and Clayton V. Root.

From early in life, Brad knew what he wanted. He became an Eagle Scout in high school. While in college, he earned his private pilot’s license, beginning his lifelong passion for aviation. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin as a finance major, he joined the United States Air Force. Excitedly driving off to Officer’s Training School, he forgot to say goodbye to his mother. Brad received his Officer’s Commission and was based at Travis Air Force Base, initially as a Budget Officer and then as a Pilot. He flew the C-141 out of Travis. He later flew the C-23 out of Zweibrücken, Germany. From Zweibrücken, Brad flew many missions, including those in the First Gulf War - Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. During the course of his nine years of active duty and 11 years of reserve duty, Brad flew missions all over the world, including to Antarctica. He received numerous Awards and Commendations of Valor.

Upon discharge from active duty, Major Bradley V. Root was hired by Northwest Airlines, which later merged with Delta Air Lines. He retired in 2021. Brad loved flying long haul, international flights, with his favorites being Amsterdam, Rome and Mumbai. When not working and after retirement, he enjoyed flying his several small planes.

Brad was a man of little patience, deep kindness and great humor. He loved his family and was interested in his family histories dating back to the Antebellum South and Alsace, France. Having proudly served his country, he was deeply grateful for the experiences and opportunities he had during those years. Brad made and maintained treasured friendships throughout his life. Brad always said that his most valued points in life were, in no specified order: receiving his Commission as an Officer to the USAF, getting his job as a pilot at Northwest Airlines and marrying Cathy, the love of his life.

Brad will be forever loved, remembered and missed. He will receive a military funeral at Sarasota National Cemetery. Those wishing to pay their respects, please raise your glass and toast our dearly loved one, always.

 

WA/DL Capt. Joe B. Taylor

 

~ IN MEMORY ~

USAF veteran, WA/DL Capt. Joe B. Taylor

June 19, 1940 ~ May 13, 2026

 

Captain Joseph “Joe” Berens Taylor joined Western Airlines 02-24-1969 and retired with Delta Air Lines based SLC.  Joe is survived by his wife Margaret, and by his large and very close extended family as well as many dear friends and aviation colleagues. 

Joe had most recently resided in Idaho :  1148 N Eagle Hills Way, Eagle, ID 83616.

Joe’s funeral service will be held May 19 at Eagle Nazarene Church, Eagle, Idaho.

 

PCN memorial site

 

To view the obituary and share memories online please visit the funeral home website at

  https://www.aldenwaggoner.com/obituaries/joseph-taylor

Joseph Berens Taylor

d. May 13, 2026

Eagle ID

Joseph Berens Taylor, a retired airline pilot and father of six, passed away of natural causes on May 13 in Boise. He was a month shy of his 86th birthday.

He had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, though the condition never fully progressed. He remained friendly and retained his sense of humor pretty much until the end.

For the past eight years, Joe lived in Eagle, Idaho, with his wife, Margaret (née Thengvall; later Gee). They first met in high school in the 1950s in Biggs, a small town in Northern California. As family legend has it, Margaret’s father, Ralph, was taken with Joe’s athletic prowess on the football field and basketball court and told him so after a couple of games.

The Taylor family—Ralph, Leona, and Joe—moved to Willows, California, where Joe had been born. (Joe’s older sisters, Lorajean, known as Jeannie, and Lovie, had already moved out.) He attended his senior year in high school there, playing on the football and basketball teams.

Joe was offered a full football and basketball scholarship to the University of North Dakota. He excelled on the football team, playing halfback on offense and safety on defense. During the 1961 season, he rushed for 248 yards, had 135 receiving yards, and scored 38 points. He was selected as the team’s “most valuable back.” His player number, 24, remained his favorite number throughout his life.

As a teenager, Joe was captivated by the sight of crop dusters sweeping low over nearby fields. The thought of becoming a pilot thrilled him, and he decided to learn how to fly a plane and pursue a career in aviation.

In college, Joe enrolled in ROTC, and after graduation he joined the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed at Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock, Texas, where he learned to fly the T-38, and later Otis Air National Guard Base in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where he gained significant flight time. After five years, he deployed to Vietnam, stationed in Korat, Thailand. He primarily flew T-38s on reconnaissance missions. He also piloted Lockheed C-121s and U-10s, sometimes landing them in areas without prepared runways, including short jungle clearings. His third son, Brett, was born in 1968 while Joe was overseas. His fourth son, Rick, was named after a close friend serving with him.

After returning to the United States, Joe became a pilot for Western Airlines. He loved Western, with its memorable ad tagline, “The only way to fly.” Around the same time, he also joined the Air National Guard. He flew Cessna O-2 aircraft, sometimes transporting the governor of California and other dignitaries. At air shows, he became known for flying the plane backward, made possible by strong winds and low air speeds.

For many years with Western, he was based at the San Francisco International Airport and commuted from towns many miles away, including Dixon. Joe served as first officer on the Boeing 737 and later the 727. In 1987, Delta Air Lines and Western merged. At Delta, he mastered additional aircraft, including the DC-10. In the later years of his flying career, he served as captain on the 757 and 767.

Following mandatory retirement at age 60 in 2000, he worked part-time as a simulator flight instructor for Delta pilots. He also would assert to anybody who would listen that age 60 was too young for mandatory retirement. The flying public was missing out on healthy and highly experienced pilots, he said. In 2007, the longtime “Age 60 Rule” was abolished, and the mandatory retirement age was lifted to 65.

In retirement, Joe enjoyed playing golf, occasional tennis, and watching sports, including football, basketball, and hockey. He especially enjoyed watching his son Grant play tennis and cheering on his grandchildren in golf and many other sports.

In his later years, he became more active in his church community, and his Christian faith became an ever more meaningful source of peace and strength. He found great meaning in reading Scripture and discussing questions of faith with others.

Joe’s adult life unfolded in three chapters. He and his first wife, Bev (née Ferris, now Hansen), made their home in Northern California, where they raised five children: Joe Jr., Tim, Brett, Rick, and Heather. They were married for 15 years.

Later, with his second wife, Beverly (née Arthur), he lived in Salt Lake City and welcomed a son, Grant. They were married for 34 years, until her death in January 2017.

In Boise, Joe found happiness with his third wife, Margaret, and was blessed with three adult stepchildren: Colette, David, and Ian. He also delighted in a large and growing group of step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who brought him much pride and joy.

His immediate beloved surviving grandchildren include Benjamin, Morgan, Addison, and Colten, from Brett and Stephanie; Taylor and Reagan, from Heather and Jerry; Ella, from Tim (and now Tatiana); and Giuliana (Gigi) and Griffin, from Grant and Cierra.

Years ago, Joe liked to joke that with his first five kids he had created his own basketball team. Over the years, this team grew into a full bench and spilled into the bleachers. One day, it may fill an entire stadium. And somewhere high above, a jersey bearing the number 24 will float in the rafters.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, May 19, at 11:00 a.m. at Eagle Nazarene Church, 1001 W. State Street, Eagle, Idaho. He will be laid to rest in Salt Lake City at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) or Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

 

WA/DL Capt. Robert "Bob" Engel

 

~ IN MEMORY ~

USAF veteran, WA/DL Capt. Robert "Bob" Engel

June 28, 1935 ~ October 13, 2025

 

 

Robert DeLong Engel joined Western Airlines 01-09-1967 and was based SLC.  Bob had most recently resided in Washington state : 4613 Petrel St, Port Townsend, WA 98368. 

Bob is survived by his wife Charlene, and by his children and their families.

PCN memorial site

 

https://www.bradley-kosec.com/obituaries?query=engel 

Robert ("Bob," "Dink") DeLong Engel passed away October 13, 2025 in Seattle, WA. He was surrounded by his loving family.

 

Bob was born in Peoria, IL to Robert F. and Maurine D. Engel on June 28, 1935. He started his school days in Washburn, IL but it was his dad's Engineering career working job sites all over the country that eventually landed the family west. At a young age Bob loved cars and knowing how things work. He could fix anything. He was instinctively great at reading maps and getting around. He made friends easily, so moving often as a young boy suited him well. In 1947, the family packed up their new red Studebaker Champion and headed to Richfield, UT. Then they went further west to Bishop, CA where Bob took on a love of skiing and the mountains. The next move was to San Mateo, CA where they bought their first house but uprooted often to temporary job sites in Blackfoot, Idaho and Sweetwater, TX. In these places Bob always had a job often on a nearby farm cleaning eggs or harvesting potatoes. He had several paper routes and cherished his Wards Hawthorne bike with its large wire basket that could hold 60 papers.

 

Bob graduated from San Mateo High School and went on to San Jose State University where he was in ROTC and a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity.

 

After graduation, Bob joined the United States Air Force where he went to flight school. After training he was stationed in Ramstein, Germany as a squadron member of the F100 Super Sabre - the world's first supersonic military aircraft. Bob was a great story teller and there were plenty of stories to tell about the training missions and comrarderie during these years. On one such training mission to France, the bold pilots couldn't resist a little fun and buzzed the Eiffel Tower. On another mission, Bob and two others were dropped in the German forest with limited supplies and directions. With map and compass they avoided ending up in East Germany. One member of the group tapped out early, but Bob and the other spent several days testing their skills in survival and navigation.

 

In 1963, Bob was home from Germany. He brought with him a Super-90 Porsche convertible that he bought at the factory. He loved everything about cars. He shared this passion with his dad and they would often travel to car shows and work on cars together.

 

He retired from the USAF and settled in Tucson where he was a safety officer of the Air National Guard again flying the F100 and later the F102. It was there that he met his beautiful wife to be, Charlene. They soon moved to Foster City, California where Bob was based with Western Airlines ("The Only Way to Fly"). He had a long career as a commercial pilot retiring as a Delta Air Lines Boeing 757 and 767 Captain after 30 years. Being a commercial pilot allowed he and Charlene to raise their family in beautiful places. After Foster City and Sonoma, CA they lived in Reno, NV. Bob loved water skiing and cruising around in his boat at Lake Tahoe and snow skiing at Mt. Rose.

 

After retiring, Bob and Charlene moved to Port Townsend, WA in the Pacific Northwest. They fixed up several homes and loved living in the quirky maritime town. Bob was a member of the Rakers car club, he supported the Port Townsend Aero Museum at the Jefferson County Airport, and loved attending and volunteering at the Wooden Boat Festival. He loved lunch at the airport on a nice day. Bob had an incredible library of books that many book collectors might envy. Both he and Charlene loved following Seattle Sports. They planned and ventured many trips together that included their favorite places - Italy and Cannon Beach. They put in many miles to Florida, Nevada, and Canada to be with grandkids.

 

Bob is survived by his wife of 60 years, Charlene, his three children - Trent "Richard" Engel, Michelle Little (Larry) and Anne Newlin (Lance). Nine grandchildren - Sam, Natalie, Charlotte, Claire, Cameron, Emily, Jake, Hannah and Grace. One great-granddaughter Whitney and one on the way. His brother Jim (Lynn Johnson) and sister Barbara (Norm Anderson, deceased). And his nieces and nephew Amy, Barry, Allison, Peter (deceased) and Maurine.

Family and friends are invited to share memories of Bob and sign the online guestbook.

 

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/robert-engel-obituary?id=61480331

Robert Engel Obituary

Longtime Port Townsend resident Robert ("Bob," "Dink") DeLong Engel passed away October 13, 2025 in Seattle, WA. He was surrounded by his wife Charlene and their three adult children. Bob was born in Peoria, IL on June 28, 1935. He served in the US Air Force and flew as a commercial pilot with Western and Delta Air Lines. A full copy of his obituary is online at https://www.bradley-kosec.com/obituaries/robert-engel

NWA Capt. Dick Dodge

 

~ IN MEMORY ~

USAF veteran, NWA Capt. Dick Dodge

November 29, 1938  -  May 12, 2026

 

Richard Charles "Dick" Dodge joined Northwest Airlines 06-12-1967.  Widowed in 2024, Dick is survived by his son DL Captain David Dodge and by his daughter Susan, and by their families along with many more dear family members and aviation colleagues.

To share memories online please visit the funeral home website at https://www.shulerfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Richard-Charles-Dick-Dodge?obId=48384438

 

PCN memorial sites

https://pcnflightwest.blogspot.com/2024/08/gail-pons-dodge-wife-of-nwa-capt.html

 Gail Pons Dodge, wife of NWA Capt. Richard C. “Dick” Dodge

Sept. 30, 1937 – July 17, 2024

 

https://www.legacy.com/person/Richard-(Dick)-Charles-Dodge-61380572

Richard Charles Dodge Obituary

Richard Charles "Dick" Dodge, beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away on May 12, 2026, at the age of 87. Born on November 29, 1938, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Dick's life was marked by a dedication to God and his church, a passion for adventure, and a heart full of love.

 

After earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Tulane University, Dick enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1962. Over the next five years, he distinguished himself as a respected leader, rising to the rank of Captain before transitioning to civilian flying.

 

In 1967, Dick began his career as a pilot with Northwest Airlines, where he flew until his retirement in 1994. Following this chapter, Dick and his wife Gail relocated to Flat Rock, North Carolina, which they loved so dearly.

 

Dick was an avid golfer who enjoyed Kenmure Country Club, scuba diving, snow skiing, and motorcycle riding. His adventures on two wheels took him across most of the lower forty-eight states and Canada.

 

Dick's compassion extended beyond his interests to his community. He was an active member of the First Baptist Church of Hendersonville, where he sang in the choir and actively contributed to the men's ministry. Dick's commitment to mission work, especially in Russia, underscored his love of the Lord.

 

Known for his infectious sense of humor and support of family and friends, Dick's legacy is one of kindness and generosity. He was preceded in death by his parents, Daisy Glen Wolfe Dodge and George Whitfield Dodge, Jr., brothers George and Peter Dodge, and his beloved wife of 58 years, Gail Pons Dodge.

 

Dick leaves behind a loving family: his son David Dodge (Robin) of Georgia; his daughter Susan Renslow (Tom) of Minnesota; and his grandchildren Jacob Dodge, Phil Renslow (Chelsea), Carlie Phillips (Mathew) and Brandi Waters. He also leaves behind his special adopted Russian family, Ivan Sukhanov (Elena).

 

Services to celebrate Dick's life will be held on June 8th, 2026, beginning with a visitation at 2:00 pm, followed by the Celebration of Life Service at 3:00 pm. at First Baptist Church of Hendersonville, NC. The service will be livestreamed as well, and a link will be provided. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly invites you to make memorial donation in Dick's honor to the charity of your choice, continuing his giving spirit.

 

The memory of Richard Charles "Dick" Dodge will forever be cherished in the hearts of those who were fortunate enough to know him. May his adventurous spirit and unwavering love of God continue to inspire us all.

 

 

WA/DL Capt. Don Means

 

~ IN MEMORY ~

Military veteran, WA/DL Capt. Don Means

October 16, 1935 ~ April 18, 2026

 

Captain Donald “Don” Ray Means began his commercial flying career with Western Airlines and retired with Delta Air Lines in 1995 based LAX.  Don is survived by his three children and their families.  The family has provided us with Don’s obituary information….please see below. 

Don requested that there be no services.

Thank you,

~ Carol for the PCN

PCN memorial site  

 

Obituary :  Captain Don R. Means passed away

Don R Means age 90, of Washington state, passed away April 18th, 2026. 

Don was born in Texas on October 16th, 1935.   His family moved to Los Angeles area in 1940s. 

He graduated from El Segundo High in 1954 and was employed by the Standard Oil of California.  Later he joined the US Army and served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division for two years at Fort Bragg North Carolina.  

He attended the Northrop Institute of Technology graduating with an FAA airframe and power plant

certificate and was employed by Western Airlines in Los Angeles as an aircraft mechanic in 1961 in Los Angeles.  He started flying in 1962 and spent the next 26 years as a flight engineer, first officer and Captain with Western Airlines.   

Delta Airlines purchased Western Airlines in 1987, and Don flew as captain until his retirement

in 1995.  At retirement he had over 34 years of service with the airlines.  

Don served both airlines as a Line Pilot, Line Check Pilot, Chief pilot Western Airlines. He was a 

Training Captain for both airlines. Don has flown the Douglas DC6, Lockheed Electra, Boeing 737

727, 707, 720, 757, and 767.  The last 4 years before retirement he was a worldwide International Line Captain on the Douglas MD-11.

Don has owned several light aircraft, an Aeronca Champ, Aeronca Chief, Cessna 180B, Lake

Amphibian LA 4200, Cessna 172, Beach V35, Cessna 172 & 140, Lake Amphibian, Air coop

Forney Flyer Courtney.

There will be no services as was Don’s wishes.

Dowling Funeral Home entrusted with arrangements. (360) 795-3591