Dave Menard, RIP

Dave Menard passed away last week. Dave was a world class aviation photographer. Thousands of people who never met him will recognize the name, for he provided so many historical military aircraft images for publication over the years. I never met Dave, but corresponded with him quite a few time back in the '80s. Heck of a nice guy, and a hell of a photographer. The world is a little sadder with his passing ...


David Walter MENARD

Obituary

MENARD, David Walter died on Feb. 5, 2013, in Dayton Ohio
where he lived since 1977. He was born in Elmhurst Ill on May 5,
1936, moved to Lombard Ill in 1945 where he graduated from
Glenbard High in 1954, followed by a year of study at the U
of Illinois at Navy Pier.  He followed his boy hood dream and
joined the air force in 1955 where he served as a maintainer of
aircraft in Africa, four countries in Europe, Greenland, and five
Asian countries, in addition to six stateside postings. After retiring
as a master sergeant in 1977, he immediately continued his work
on aircraft at the Air Force museum at Wright Patterson AFB in
Dayton, later serving as an historian due to his encyclopedic
knowledge of aviation history. Retiring from that is 1999, he
began following his other passion, care of children by volunteering
at the Dayton children's Hospital, amassing 32,000 hours, the
equivalent of working 16 years at forty hours a week fifty weeks
a year!!! Meanwhile he develop a passion for Irish step dancing,
viewing River Dance over sixty times and supporting several Irish
dance troupes. He lived his life in service to his country....and
children in general. He leaves a brother Mike (Marita) from
Madison Wisc., four nieces and nephews and five grand nephews.
 His other brother Herbert James preceded him in death just
two months ago. A memorial service will be held on Monday,
Feb. 11 at 7 PM at the Taggert auditorium at Dayton's Children's
Hospital, One Children's Plaza 45404, to which donations can
be made in lieu of flowers.

Published in Dayton Daily News from February 7 to February 9, 2013.