~ IN MEMORY ~
NWA/DL Capt. Gerald ‘Kelly’ Carman
December 1, 1962 – August 7, 2014
Notification with the passing of USAF veteran NWA/DL pilot
Captain Gerald Carman, age 51. Captain Carman joined Northwest on his birthday,
hire date 12-01-1995. He spent much of his aviation career based in Anchorage
and more recently was based Atlanta with Delta Air Lines.
~Born in Dayton, Ohio on December 1, 1962
~Departed on August 7, 2014 and resided in Nikiski,
Alaska
~Visitation: Wages & Sons Gwinnett Chapel, Friday August
15, 2014
~Funeral Mass: Catholic Church of St. Monica, Saturday August
16, 2014
Captain Carman is survived by his wife Dawn
Murto Carman, and sons Bradley and Alex.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to verify a phone number or home address for
personal condolences. Should we receive more information, we will be sure to
update our memorial site
Thank you,
~
Carol for the PCN
online obituary.............
Gerald "Kelly" Carman, age 51, of Kenai, AK, from Lexington,
KY, died August 7, 2014 in Duluth, GA, surrounded by his family. Kelly graduated
from Tates Creek High School in Lexington, earned his Bachelor's from the
University of Kentucky, where he was a member of Kappa Alpha, and received a
Master's degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Lt. Col. Carman
(retired) served as a pilot for 26 years in the USAF, AK Air National Guard and
USAF Reserves. He was a Northwest Airlines pilot then a captain with Delta.
Survivors include his beloved wife of 25 years, Dawn Murto Carman; sons Bradley
(14) and Alexander (11); parents, Gerald "Buzz" and Dee Dee Carman; sister
Christy Pellegrino (Anthony); brothers Kevin (Anastassiya) Carman and Michael
Kerry Carman; mother-in-law Rena Blacklocke and fathers-in-law, David Blacklocke
and Bill Murto; Dawn's sister Sherri (Dwayne) Summers; brothers Billy (Angie)
Murto and Jeff Murto (Emily Norris); and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and
nephews. Visitation will be held Friday, August 15, 5-8 p.m., at Wages and Sons,
Lawrenceville, GA. A Funeral Mass will be Saturday, August 16, 11 a.m., at
Catholic Church of St. Monica, Duluth, GA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be
made to Carman Sons Scholarship Fund, acct #6130545848, at any Wells Fargo or
mail to WF Attn Ms. Landress, 2731 Meadow Church Rd., Duluth, GA
30097.
.Published in Alaska Dispatch News on Aug. 13, 2014
..........................................................................................................
Gerald “Kelly” Carman, age 51, of Kenai, Alaska, originally
from Lexington, Kentucky,
passed away Thursday, August 7, 2014 in Duluth, Georgia, after
a courageous battle
with cancer, surrounded by his family. Husband, father, son,
brother, friend, patriot,
sportsman, pilot, adventurer, world traveler, and tech guru:
Kelly was a gregarious,
humble, and loving man who lived life to the
fullest.
Kelly’s winning smile, huge heart, and warm nature were the
hallmarks of this best
friend to many. He loved the great outdoors and took great
pleasure in sharing his
passion with his beloved wife Dawn and two sons, Bradley, age
14, and Alexander, age
11. In July, Kelly’s last wish was granted when he was able to
return to his beloved
home in Alaska for three weeks with his family.
Floating down the Kenai River, Kelly could unwind and enjoy
nature’s beauty. A
calculated risk-taker, Kelly was the consummate pilot –
adventuresome yet calm and
reassuring. You wanted Kelly at the controls. An avid bush
pilot, fisherman, and hunter,
Kelly lived 25 hours a day and always jokingly said, “You can
sleep when you’re dead.”
He referred to his Cessna 185 as “his baby”. He loved flying
the 185 into Alexander
Creek, pumping up the Zodiac boat, and fishing for the elusive
salmon. Hence, we
named our second son Alexander. Fishing was indeed the mission
for Kelly. “Fish on!”,
whether he wrangled in the mighty king salmon or hauled up
barn door halibut. For
Kelly, hunting in Alaska ranged from unforgiving danger to
oneness with the land and
God, to subsistence for the family dinner table. After every
flight, Kelly traditionally
kissed the 185’s nose cone, thanking her for another safe
flight.
Kelly was a talented, capable man: he could build and re-build
anything. Nothing gave
him greater satisfaction than spending time with his boys,
teaching them about sports,
marksmanship, and electronics. Most importantly, Kelly
instilled strong values and
morals in his young sons.
Kelly possessed an evident tender side. He was kind and
caring, always greeting those
he loved with a bear hug for the guys and a kiss for the
ladies. He was never too busy
for his friends and did favors long before even being asked.
When people met Kelly for
the first time, they instantly felt connected with him. His
warmth and wit were palpable.
Over the course of Kelly’s distinguished 26 year military
career, he served in the USAF,
the Alaska Air National Guard, and the Air Force Reserves. He
was a pilot, instructor
pilot, and Aircraft Commander, flying the E-3 Sentry AWACS at
Elmendorf AFB, AK,
and the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker at Eielson AFB, AK.
Subsequently, Kelly exhibited
his leadership skills as an Emergency Preparedness Liaison
Officer to the Alaska
Command. When activated during Hurricane Gustav, Kelly took
charge, coordinated
with local, state, and federal officials, facilitating the
evacuation of civilians, military
personnel, and aircraft from New Orleans. He, along with the
air traffic controller and a
few others, were the last to leave the airport. Kelly retired
from the military in 2013.
Kelly was hired by Northwest Airlines on his birthday in
December 1995. He spent the
majority of his commercial career based in Anchorage flying
747-200 freighters/cargo
around the world. He was promoted to MD-88/90 Captain in
Atlanta after a merger with
Delta Air Lines.
Kelly was a graduate of Tates Creek High School in Lexington,
Kentucky. He earned a
Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of
Kentucky, where he was a
member of Kappa Alpha fraternity. Kelly was a lifelong,
passionate Wildcats fan who
enjoyed attending the SEC Championship basketball game with
his family in March. He
received a Master’s degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry
Riddle Aeronautical
University.
In addition to his wife of 25 years, Dawn Murto Carman, and
sons Bradley and Alex,
Kelly is survived by his parents, Gerald “Buzz” and Dee Dee
Carman; sister Christy
Pellegrino (Anthony), brothers Kevin (Anastassiya) Carman and
Kerry Carman. Kelly
was dearly loved by his mother-in-law Rena Blacklocke and
fathers-in-law, David
Blacklocke and Bill Murto; Dawn’s sister Sherri Summers
(Dwayne) and brothers Billy
(Angie) Murto and Jeff Murto (Emily Norris); as well as his
many aunts, uncles, cousins,
nieces and nephews.
For Kelly’s family and friends, the loss is immeasurable, but
there is peace in knowing
he is with God, the ultimate pilot. Each day was a gift to
Kelly, and for those who loved
and cared for him, he would want you to keep these words in
mind, “Sit back and enjoy
the ride!"
SERVICES FOR GERALD “KELLY” CARMAN
Visitation will be held Friday, August 15, 5-8 pm, at Wages
& Sons, 1031 Lawrenceville
Hwy., Lawrenceville, GA.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, August 16 at 11am
at Catholic Church of
St. Monica, 1700 Buford Hwy., Duluth, GA, with reception to
follow.
It is tradition for Delta pilots to honor their deceased
colleagues by attending services in
full uniform including jackets. For those who know Kelly,
uniform optional.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Carman Sons
Scholarship Fund, acct
#6130545848, at any Wells Fargo or mail to WF Attn Ms.
Landress, 2731 Meadow
Church Rd., Duluth, GA 30097.
