Dave was born in Denver, Colorado on May 25, 1944 and was proud to call himself a Native of Colorado. Dave graduated from South High School in 1962. From there, Dave attended Ft. Lewis College in Durango, CO for two years before joining the US Army in 1964.

He graduated from Army Flight School in class 66-15, then served two tours flying combat missions in the Republic of Vietnam. The first tour was in 1966-67 (D/1/4 CAV 1 INF) and the second tour was in 1969 (120 AHC).

After Vietnam, Dave finished his college degree at FIT (Florida Institute of Technology) in Melbourne, FL. Dave continued service in the Army Reserve and Colorado National Guard as CW4 Helicopter Pilot until retirement in 1999. He received the Meritorious Service Medal for service from October 8, 1965 to June 30, 1999 by General Westerdahl. He was very proud of the many awards and medals he received throughout his military career.

Dave continued his aviation career flying helicopters for McDonalds Corporation in Atlanta, GA as a corporate helicopter pilot for over six years for the real estate and construction departments. His service to McDonalds as a pilot ended when Ray Kroc passed away and the fleet of helicopters and jets were sold. Dave then was hired by PHI (Petroleum Helicopters, Inc.) servicing oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1985 Dave went to work for Air Methods where he became the Base Manager (Lead Pilot) for PSL (Presbyterian St. Lukes) Air Life, at Aurora Presbyterian Hospital in 1988- 2012. In 2012 he became the Chief Pilot for Air Cam National Helicopters, located at Centennial Airport (APA) in Englewood, CO. Dave had an impressive record of over 17,000 flight hours in his logbooks, almost all of which was helicopter flight time, and all accident free.

Dave was the primary architect and project leader on many of the original Colorado hospital landing pads, and heliports that are in use today. He was the driving force for most of the arrival/departure protocols and SOP's (standard operating procedures) involving helicopter flight in and around Denver International (DEN) and Centennial Airports (APA).

During his time as a helicopter pilot, it wasnt "all work and no play." Dave had the pleasure of flying several celebrities such as Ted Turner, Paula Abdul, Sting, and Tom Cruise. He really enjoyed flying with Tom and was invited to come out for a visit and fly with Tom in his plane.

Dave was not only a great leader in the professional arena, but an incredible father figure, he was a natural role model of values. He worked hard but enjoyed the simple things in life. He enjoyed hiking the great outdoors, skiing, and traveling with the family on cruises. Dave loved his two fur babies, Frits and Frankie, and loved hiking the mountains in Colorado with them. Once he moved to Lake Jovita, the sidewalks replaced the mountains and he logged a lot of miles throughout the neighborhood walking the dogs morning and evening. He was a familiar sight in the neighborhood. Dave enjoyed meeting his friends on the shooting range for their monthly target practice and then on to lunch to share stories. He also enjoyed getting together with the "Breakfast Club" weekly for breakfast and for more sharing of stories. Dave had so many stories to tell about his 50 years of flying and never tired of sharing them with his friends. When he wasnt doing projects around the house he enjoyed a quiet evening at home watching his favorite detective drama series with his fur babies, Frits and Frankie in his lap and sometimes even Gracie, his cat. He also enjoyed reading anything that had to do with space travel, watching rocket launches, and cooking. Dave showed off his cooking skills with delicious Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for the family.

Sadly, Dave passed away on March 13, 2019 in Gainesville, FL, where he was in hospice care due to complications from heart surgery. He leaves behind his wife of over 40 years, Peggy Richter, his step-son, Anthony Spinner and his wife, Joyce, his mother-in-law, Evelyn Gadd, his brother-in-law, Dennis Gadd, sister-in-law, Phyllis Gadd, and his brother, Daniel Richter.

It appears that Dave did not want to simply sail off into the sunset but instead he filed one final flight plan, destination known only to him, for his final flight. Way to go, Dave.

Dave was taken from us too soon and will be greatly missed. We can honor him by remembering and living by one of his favorite sayings, "Dont worry about the things you cant control."

Services will be held at the Hodges Funeral Home, 11441 Hwy 301, Dade City, Florida on March 28, 2019. Visitation: 10:00 - 12:00; Service: 12:00. Interment will take place at Bushnell National Cemetery at 2:00

Visitation

Hodges Family Funeral Home & Cremation Center

Thursday, March 28, 2019 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM 11441 US HIGHWAY 301 Dade City, Florida 33525 Directions Celebration of Life Service

Hodges Family Funeral Home & Cremation Center

Thursday, March 28, 2019 12:00 PM 11441 US HIGHWAY 301 Dade City, Florida 33525 Directions Graveside Service

Florida National Cemetery

Thursday, March 28, 2019 2:00 PM 6502 SW 102nd Avenue Bushnell, Florida 33513 Directions