Dan Colburn, an OLD friend of MINE, & many others. passed away in June '22. Dan would have been 100 in mid-Oct of this year; but, did not quite make it to that 'milestone'. Dan was a Navy Captain - now RETIRED with significant service during WW II in the Pacific Theater. I tried several times to have him recount some of his past; but, NEVER succeeded. I remember his late wife - Margo too & went to her 'service' when she died; many years ago. I visited Dan in the Assisted Living Facility (a place called The Cantebury, nearby me) one day & was thinking of returning for another visit when I heard that he was 'no longer WITH us'!! It is certainly too bad that his WW II efforts were not recounted for posterity (OR WHATEVER). I remember his coming by my place for a nice visit - one day, a long time ago. He was a Test Pilot for Northrop; and one of the FEW qualified to fly the DC-2. I, among others, WILL certainly MISS him & his GREAT SMILE!! RIP Dan.
Daniel W. Colburn, W6DC SK Colburn, Daniel W. CAPT, USNR (Ret) Born 10-18-1922 in Minneapolis, MN, died 6-16-2022 in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. Predeceased by wife, Marlowe Nelson Colburn, parents Daniel N. Colburn and Ruby Henderson Colburn; sisters Nancy, Priscilla, and Sally, and brother Jim. He is survived by brother Ted, (Elizabeth) of Minneapolis. Dan is also survived by his daughter Julie Ann Saemisch, her husband Mike, daughters Julia (Samir Bhavnani) and Amelia (Isaac Johnson), and grandchildren Nina Maas and Wyatt Johnson, and by his son Dan and his husband Joseph Tatnall. Dan was a Naval Aviator and flew the PBM seaplane in the Pacific Theater of WWII. He was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses and three Air Medals flying missions in support of the Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa campaigns. Following the war, Dan and Marlowe settled in Minneapolis where he flew for Honeywell, Mid-Continent/Braniff Airways, corporations, and the FAA. In 1965 Dan joined Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach, CA as a test and training pilot. After retirement from Douglas in 1987, Dan flew with Scenic Airways out of Las Vegas until 1991. Dan was active in the USNR until 1967, and a QB. No service is planned. Published on July 17, 2022 https://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000430676/?fullname=daniel-w-colburn,-capt,-usnr-ret
I knew Dan & his lovely wife (Margo). We were (at that time) members of the Palos Verdes Amateur Radio Club (in the SW portion of Los Angeles County, CA). I often urged Dan to recount his WW II activities for 'posterity'; but, Dan never did. He (erronously - in MY view) thought that no one would be interested OR he just did NOT want to recall the 'horrors' of War & never articulated any of his former 'experiences'.... OUR loss of his (patriotic) actions while on active duty in the United States Navy. I also recall his visit to MY QTH & his interest in some OLD equipment that I had recently acquired. I will indeed miss Dan & his USUAL jovial style. He was accomplished in flying & Amateur Radio, confident, & (I'm MOST pleased to say) MY friend!! RIP Dan...
