Albert Emil Dietz

On the morning of 1 October, Albert Emil Dietz passed away peacefully in his sleep at home in San Marcos, Texas at the age of 88. He is survived by his loving wife, Edna May; his siblings, Doris Trevorah and Frank Dietz; his three sons and two daughters-in-law, Albert Steven and wife Jennifer, Mark David, Michael Paul and wife Elly. He had five grandchildren, Lorrin Simmons-Wang (Henry), Sharon Dietz Calderon (Paco), Aidan Wolf Dietz (Desirae), Mirabella Brianna Dietz and Sofia Nichole Dietz; and three great-grandchildren, Heidi Lucia and Max Emiliano Calderon and Camila Rae Dietz. He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul Max Dietz and Bertha Christman Dietz; his brothers, Robert, Paul, and Charles; and his daughter, Sharon Jane.

He was born in Philadelphia, PA on May 28, 1932. He graduated from Mastbaum Technical School in West Lawn, PA. He earned his pilot's license at the age of 15 in Warrington, Pennsylvania, flying off a grass field. At 17, he joined the Navy Reserves as an Airdale. He was assigned to Willow Grove Naval Air Station, PA, whe mechanic on the F4U Corsair. As a civilian, he worked building Piasaki helicopters (now Boeing) in Ridley Park, PA, which sparked his love of helicopters. He joined the Air Force as an Air Cadet and completed his initial officer training at Medina Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. He continued flight training in Williams, Arizona, and on a weekend leave to Los Angeles, California, he met his future wife and English rose, Edna, on the beach in Santa Monica. They married in 1957 and spent 63 love-filled years together.

Albert chose to fly helicopters upon graduating from flight school and loved flying rotor-wing aircraft. He lived the Air Rescue motto, “So Others May Live." In Vietnam, he flew combat missions as an Air Force liaison pilot to the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division and then as the Senior Air Force Liaison to the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN). He received the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, the Air Medal (9 OLC) and the Republic of Vietnam Air Gallantry Cross. He was especially proud of his time as a test pilot and most of all, as an instructor pilot. After retiring from the Air Force, he became a Flight Commander for Bell Helicopter in Isfahan, Iran, training the Iranian Army to fly helicopters. After Iran, he became the Chief Pilot for Augusta in Taif, Saudi Arabia, where he trained the Saudi Air Force. In his 40-year flying career, he logged over 17,000 flight hours, and - astonishingly - over

14,000 hours were in his beloved helicopters. He was a very accomplished glider pilot who held many soaring records.

After retiring completely, from military and civilian careers, Albert and Edna settled on a farm in Gonzales County, Texas where Al raised cattle, taught his grandchildren to swim and to respect nature. Edna and Al had peacocks, potbellied pigs, farm animals and a talking parrot! He had many hobbies, including beekeeping, blacksmithing, photography and woodworking. He was a charming, loving and dedicated son, brother, husband, and father. He taught us all so much, including how to build things, how to fix things, how to respect each other, how to be humble and how to love. He was very proud of his two oldest sons, who both obtained PhDs from the University of Texas, and his youngest son, a retired Army Colonel. The family thanks CIMA Hospice for all the love!

He will be missed by all and will live in our hearts forever. Fly high.