Gone But Not Forgotten

Honoring fallen comrades is an important part of the AOG mission and we ask to be notified as soon as possible of the death of any graduate, Air Training Officer or cadet so that we can take appropriate actions. The AOG has learned of the following deaths within the past 90 days.

For best results, try searching by Last Name (e.g. Smith), Class Year (e.g. 1959), or Cadet Squadron (e.g. CS-01). More complex searches may not return desired results.

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Mr. Paul Craig - Class of 1977, CS-38

Deceased on December 31, 2020 - Informed on January 12, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A funeral service will be held on 20 Jan 2021 at 1000 hours at the USAFA Cemetery Memorial Pavilion. Burial will immediately follow in the cemetery.

Col James Culpepper - Class of 1995, CS-13

Deceased on December 17, 2020 - Informed on January 5, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A funeral service and burial will be held on 9 Jan 2021 at 1300 at the New Hope Baptist Church; 6573 Highway 145; Meridian, MS 39301. Burial will immediately follow the service in New Hope Baptist Cemetery. His family has suggested that memorial donations be made to Dallas Baptist University at www.DBU.edu where his daughter, Caitlin attends.

Mr. Donovan DeRuyter - Class of 1987, CS-40

Deceased on September 5, 2021 - Informed on September 10, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A funeral service will be held on 13 Sep 2021 at 1100 hours at the St. Joseph Catholic Church; 6180 East Willow Street; Long Beach, CA 90815. His family has suggested that memorial donations be made in lieu of flowers to the American Cancer Society; PO Box 22718; Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718; (800) 227-2345; Donate Today | The American Cancer Society <https://donate3.cancer.org/?campaign=default&lang=en%20&_ga=2.65652334.1365290812.1631231870-412661109.1621870687>.

Mr. Nathan Dodd - Class of 2001, CS-19

Deceased on April 22, 2021 - Informed on April 29, 2021

Visitation will be held on 1 May 2021 from 0900 to 1300 hours at the Living Glory Church; 200 E Butcher Switch Rd; Lafayette, LA 70501. A funeral service will immeditely follow at 1300 hours at the chruch and will be streamed on Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/LivingGloryChurch. Burial will be in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens 2300 N University Ave; Lafayette, LA 70507 after the service. Condolences may be left online and his obituary seen at https://www.waltersfh.com/obituary/NathanNate-Dodd

Brig Gen (Ret) Frank Drew

Deceased on November 13, 2021 - Informed on November 23, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A funeral service will be held on 4 Dec 2021 at 1100 hours at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 800 N New Rd, Waco, TX 76710, (254) 772-9349. No obituary is available.

Mr. Nick Duran - Class of 2023

Deceased on June 24, 2021 - Informed on June 29, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. The wake will be held on 1 Jul 2021 beginning at 1900 hours at the Keene Spanish Seventh Day Adventist Church; 304 US-67; Keene, TX 76059. A candlelight vigil will immediately follow the wake at 2130 hours. The funeral service will be held at the church on 2 July 2021 at 1900 hours. Cadet Duran will be laid to rest in Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery; 2000 Mountain Creek Pkwy; Dallas, TX 75211 on 3 July 2021 with the committal service beginning at 0930.

Mr. Stephen Durham - Class of 1978, CS-23

Deceased on June 10, 2021 - Informed on June 22, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. Services will be held on 28 Jun 2021, 1330 hours at the Community Chapel at the United States Air Force Academy, followed by inurnment. The service will be moved to the Memorial Pavilion in the event of inclement weather.

Maj (Ret) Richard Fallon - Class of 1968, CS-14

Deceased on January 6, 2021 - Informed on January 14, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence infomation. A Celebration of Life will be held on 16 Jan 2021 at 1400 hours at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church;

Mr. William Finch - Class of 1965, CS-01

Deceased on October 14, 2021 - Informed on November 9, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A memorial service was held on 21 Oct 2021 in Excelsior, MN. He will be buried on 15 Nov 2021 at 1030 hours at the USAFA Cemetery. In the event of inclement weather the USAFA service will be moved to the Memorial Pavilion. His obituary can be found at Huber Funeral Home, Excelsior Chapel <https://memorials.huberfunerals.com/william-finch/4755776/index.php> or at the Star Tribune <https://m.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000405848/?fullname=william-steve-finch>. His family would prefer a memorial donation be made in lieu of flowers, but did not specify a charity.

Lt Col (Ret) Mark Fischer - Class of 1969, CS-19

Deceased on April 19, 2021 - Informed on April 22, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on 17 Jul 2021 at 11:00 am at the St. Paul Lutheran Church; 125 C. Street; Lewistown, MT 59457 with military honors. Mark's family suggests that memorial donations be sent to St. Paul Lutheran Church in lieu of flowers. Mark's family and friends can share memories at www.creelfuneralhome.com.

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Next of Kin

For Next of Kin support resources please visit: https://www.usafanextofkin.org/

Frequently Asked Questions

Gone But Not Forgotten Annual Publication

The Air Force Academy Association and Foundation are introducing a new benefit to better memorialize USAFA graduates and support their families. We are launching a new annual memorial publication in 2025.

A: As the Academy graduate population ages, Checkpoints is increasingly insufficient in accommodating the increasing number of obituaries. This has necessitated the creation of a new publication as part of our commitment to remembering all fallen graduates, Air Training Officers and cadets.
A: The purpose of the publication is to honor and perpetuate the legacy of the Long Blue Line through the personal stories of our graduates. The publication is in the spirit of our mission to support the Academy, serve graduates and preserve the heritage of the institution.
A: Gone But Not Forgotten will be part of the final name, which is not yet finalized.
A: No, but the Association will list basic information on deaths in each issue of Checkpoints.
A: No. If/when memorial articles are sent to the AOG, the tribute is posted to this webpage.
A: A complimentary copy will be mailed to a loved one of the deceased. It is not yet determined if the printed publication will be available at a nominal cost or at no cost to AOG members.
A: There will be a one-year transition period. Memorial articles sent in to run in Checkpoints in 2024 will also appear in the inaugural memorial publication. The deadline for Gone But Not Forgotten submissions in the December 2024 issue of Checkpoints is mid-October, but any memorial articles about deaths for the remainder of 2024 received by mid-January 2025 will appear in the inaugural 2025 stand-alone publication. Then going forward, the full years’ worth of tributes would be published in the next year’s volume.
A: The first memorial publication will likely be printed in February or March of 2025.
A: We currently have a 400-word maximum for each memorial tribute and will continue with that limit for the first stand-alone publication. We’re doing this because we have already received submissions at that length and don’t plan to ask for longer versions for the 2025 edition.
A: We will transition to roughly 450- or 900-word options for memorial tributes. Whoever writes and submits the memorial article with have the option to write to either word limit.
A: A recent favorite photo of the deceased, when possible. The photo (head and shoulders, color preferred) should be emailed as a .jpg and sent as a high-resolution image.
A: Please email Next-of-Kin Support Specialist Terri Davis at deceasednotifications@usafa.org.
A: That is coming soon.
A: Please reach out to David Bitton, assistant director of strategic communications and publications, at 719-247-8745 or use our Contact Form.

Gone But Not Forgotten