Steve Fossett

Steve Fossett

Steve Fossett Obituary

Published by Legacy Remembers on Feb. 15, 2008.
CHICAGO (AP) - Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett, who risked his life seeking to set records in high-tech balloons, gliders and jets, has been declared dead, five months after he vanished while flying in a small plane.

The self-made business tycoon, who in 2002 became the first person to circle the world solo in a balloon, was last seen Sept. 3 after taking off in a single-engine plane from an airstrip near Yerington, Nevada, heading toward Bishop, California. He was 63.

His wife, Peggy V. Fossett, had him declared legally dead in Cook County Circuit Court as a step toward resolving the legal status of his estate. Judge Jeffrey Malak heard testimony Friday from Peggy Fossett, a family friend and a search-and-rescue expert before deciding there was sufficient evidence to declare him dead.

While flight records brought him his greatest fame, Fossett, who was paunchy for most of his life, also climbed some of the world's best-known peaks, including the Matterhorn in Switzerland and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. (Everest did elude him.) With top notch endurance and concentration, he swam the English Channel and completed the Boston Marathon, the Ironman Triathlon, the Iditarod dog sled race, and, as part of a team, the 24 Hours of Le Mans car race.

"Steve's lived his life to the full, and he hasn't wasted a minute of his life," Fossett's rival-turned-comrade, British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, had said as the search went on. "Everything he's done, he's taken a calculated risk with."

But Fossett was on a pleasure flight when he vanished and not looking for a dry lake bed to use as a surface on which to set the world land speed record, as was initially reported, according to his wife's petition.

Dozens of planes and helicopters spent more than a month searching the rugged western Nevada mountains before the effort was called off as winter approached.

The search area covered 20,000 square miles (52,000 square kilometers), and according to the Reno Gazette-Journal, about 15 to 20 private planes have vanished in the area since 1950. In 2005, wreckage was found in Kings Canyon National Park from a plane that went down during World War II.

A Stanford University graduate with a master's degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Fossett went to Chicago to work in investments and founded his own firm, Marathon Securities. The fortune he amassed allowed him to take his childhood fascination with exploration to extremes - he once said he drew up a list of feats he wanted to accomplish and started checking them off.

"Business is much easier for me," he told The Washington Post in a 1987 interview. "Sports is often very humiliating, because there are so many better athletes in these events. I would like to be the best in everything, but that's not possible. I risk humiliation because I have a genuine interest in participating."

In 2004, Fossett and his crew broke the round-the-world sailing record by six days. He even set world records for cross-country skis, according to his Web site.

But he was best known for his aerial exploits, first in ballooning, more recently in airplanes.

Beginning in the 1980s, teams led by Fossett, Branson and others used steadily improving technology to try to best each other and their predecessors in a series of ever-longer balloon flights. In January 1997 alone, there were three failed attempts, including a solo attempt by Fossett and a try by a crew led by Branson, the flashy founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways.

In 2002, after years of trying, Fossett became the first person to fly nonstop around the world alone in a balloon, setting the record on his sixth attempt. It took him two weeks to float 19,428.6 miles (31,266 kilometers) around the Southern Hemisphere.

Three years later, in March 2005, he was first to fly a plane solo around the world without stopping or refueling, covering 23,000 miles (37,000 kilometers) in 67 hours in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer jet.

Solo flights represent the ultimate challenge, he told The Associated Press when the GlobalFlyer was introduced in 2004.

"They become more of an endurance endeavor, and become focused on the ability and the performance of a single person," he said.

Fossett made nearly as many headlines for his narrow escapes as he did for his successes. In 1998, during one of his solo around-the-world attempts, his balloon ripped during a storm, sending him plunging 29,000 feet (8,800 meters) into the Coral Sea. Falling at about 2,500 feet (760 meters) per minute, Fossett blacked out.

He said his next memory was "waking up with the capsule upside down, half full of water and on fire."

He was fished out by the crew of a schooner and was still on the ship when Branson called to invite him on another round-the-world attempt later that year, this time as part of a team. It ended in another dramatic rescue.

Branson, Fossett and Swedish balloonist Per Lindstrand made it more than halfway before poor wind conditions forced them to ditch in the shark-infested waters off Honolulu on Christmas Day 1998. The U.S. Coast Guard spent about $130,000 sending planes, helicopters and a boat to rescue the trio.

Fossett pressed on because of his thirst for accomplishments, and for all his close calls, those who knew him well said he wasn't reckless. Fossett once said the most dangerous thing he ever did was fall off his bicycle in Chicago without a helmet on.

"I'm doing these things for personal accomplishment, not the thrills," he told Stanford's alumni magazine in 1997, after his second around-the-world balloon attempt ended in India. "I don't do these things because I have a death wish."

Many of Fossett's recent adventures were financed with help from Branson, who is now teaming with renowned aerospace designer Burt Rutan to begin sending paying civilians into space within a few years.

As high as he flew, Fossett had no desire to take a ride into space.

"I really wouldn't want to go unless I get to be the pilot," Fossett told the AP in 2007. "I'm not a passenger type of person."

Born in Jackson, Tennessee, in 1944, Fossett grew up in Garden Grove, California, and climbed his first mountain as a 12-year-old Boy Scout and got his pilot's license in college.

On a fraternity dare in 1965, his final year at Stanford, he swam to Alcatraz and tried to hang a "Beat Cal" banner - referring to a rival college - on the wall of the island prison, which had closed two years earlier.

"I got it up there, briefly," he told the alumni magazine. "Then a security guard pushed me offshore. Luckily, my frat brothers were following behind me in a fishing boat with a keg of beer."

Fossett was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in July. He told a crowd gathered at the Dayton Convention Center in Ohio that he would continue flying and planned to go to Argentina later in the year in an effort to break a glider record.

"I imagine that when I'm 80 years old and sitting in a wheelchair that I might do something like take a remote control airplane and try and flight it around the world," he told CNN last year. "I plan to be setting and breaking records indefinitely."


Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press

Sign Steve Fossett's Guest Book

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March 1, 2019

Abelardo Le Compte posted to the memorial.

March 17, 2010

Someone posted to the memorial.

December 29, 2008

C. Janssen posted to the memorial.

55 Entries

Abelardo Le Compte

March 1, 2019

Steve - You were an extraordinary person, friend and Scout. I still miss our encounters as Eagle Scouts. You left more than a legacy that still lives on... you are a heritage of honor, pride, and courage. You are the real Adventurer. Rest in Peace. - Abelardo Le Compte, I.A.F.E.

March 17, 2010

For Steve...

You lived life to its fullest.

WEEP NOT FOR ME


Do not weep for me when I no longer dwell among the wonders of the earth; for my larger self is free, and my soul rejoices on the other side of pain...on the other side of darkness.

Do not weep for me, for I am a ray of sunshine that touches your skin, a tropical breeze upon your face, the hush of joy within your heart and the innocence of babes in mothers arms.

I am the hope in a darkened night. And, in your hour of need, I will be there to comfort you. I will share your tears, your joys, your fears, your disappointments and your triumphs.

Do not weep for me, for I am cradled
in the arms of God. I walk with the angels, and hear the music beyond the stars.

Do not weep for me, for I am within you;
I am peace, love, I am a soft wind that caresses the flowers. I am the calm that follows a raging storm. I am an autumns leaf that floats among the garden of God, and I am pure white snow that softly falls upon your hand.

Do not weep for me, for I shall never die, as long as you remember me...
with a smile and a sigh.


© Joe Fazio
~
[email protected] /Joe Fazio,
Beverly Hills, California

C. Janssen

December 29, 2008

Dear mister Fosset,May you rest in peace. You will never be forgotten! You were and still are an inspiring person for a whole lot of people all over the globe.

kc costa

October 5, 2008

Mr. Fossett's legacy will live on and not be forgotten. His prosperity in life extended far beyond the monetary. I did not know you personally; I admire your zest for life even now. Rest in peace, Mr. Fossett.

AJ Mann

October 2, 2008

What an amazing person! May your family find peace during this time of sorrow!

Miracle

May 29, 2008

I would like to take a moment to say I'm sorry about your lost of your loved one and I woud like to share a scpriture with the family at John11:25Jesus said I am that resurrection and the life, he that exercises faith in me. even though he dies will come to life.

Donna Kuznia

February 20, 2008

My thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Fossetts family. May your memories bring you comfort in your time of grief.

Sheila O'Neal

February 20, 2008

No need to worry
God has it in control
Just look up above
To His mercies untold
He really does know
The grief you’re going through
He knows it first hand
Because He has been there too.
Praying that God will grant Family and Friends strength and peace to get thru your time of sorrow.
In Jesus Name.

Mervin & Barbara Mills

February 20, 2008

We are so sorry for your loss.

Betsy Searfoss

February 20, 2008

may you still be in blue skies, with the wind beneath your wind as you continue on the ultimate flight!

Suzanne Engbert

February 17, 2008

You are my hero! I have followed your unbelievable adventures for years. You have indeed reached your final destination,you last mission. God Bless,you really had a great flight! SLEngbert, MO

Susan Biondi

February 17, 2008

To the Family of Steve Fossett, The two most wonderful gifts that God gave us to get through the the loss of a loved one, are your memories and your heart so you have a place to keep them. Half the world dreams about adventures that he lived. He was an amazing Man and I am sure He will continue to soar. God Bless

Fay Freeman

February 17, 2008

My thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. May your memories bring you comfort.

Jean Hegeman

February 17, 2008

Steve did what alot of us only dream about.....God Bless !!

Tanya Hall

February 17, 2008

May God be with your family during this time of sorrow.

m rosales

February 17, 2008

rest in peace great adventurer

Leon Darnell

February 17, 2008

As you may know records are made to be broken. But there's a better record--his name being in the Lambs Book of Life. I believe only God can decide. Rest in peace my friend.

Delores Johnson

February 17, 2008

Your life was what books are written about. A true all American adventurer. Rest in peace.

Barb Dinges

February 17, 2008

Be Still

Be still like the grass on a melancholy summer day
Be still like desert shrub.

Be calm and you will hear your loved one speak, in the stillness, in the calm, their love resounds.

If you are still this promise I make, you will hear the voice of your loved one helping you along your way.

Sheila Smith

February 16, 2008

What a brave man. He will be missed. Godspeed.

Jane Weaver

February 16, 2008

I have just realized that your Steve was the Steve I went to school with at Garden Grove High. I was a Freshman, Jane Coffman, and remember him as very nice and even a bit shy. I am so sad for your loss. I got my old year book out tonight and relived many memories. I am so sad for you and your family. I moved to Texas shortly after I graduated from GGHS and have lost contact with most of my friends. He was always nice and thoughtful around me. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Jane Coffman Weaver Class of 1965.

Maureen Dombeck

February 16, 2008

To a true adventurer! I admired
your exploits and your bravado.
I had no idea until reading this
obit that you had also done
Ironman, may you smile down on me this year as I enter the lottery!
You did Chicago proud.

jon smith

February 16, 2008

You had a cool and exciting life bud. Good for you.. thanks for making it interesting for the rest of us

Muffy

February 16, 2008

Rest well, Brave man.

May your family find peace and joy in your memories.

Julia Fox

February 16, 2008

He's in the Clouds. Not a bad place, to Rest. God Bless.

Victoria Shingleton

February 16, 2008

Your life brought me to aviation and hot air ballooning. Things I would never have tried on my own. You gave me courage and the spirit of adventure to share the excitement with a new generation about what pioneers like you have brought us to; and how far they can continue to go. May you touch the stars and see God's face, my friend. Vickie, Wichita

donna m

February 16, 2008

it is so sad that an American hero is gone. i can only imagine that Steve is up in heaven looking down and smiling by remembering everything he did succeed at while on earth. Steve you will be missed and you had so many fans. God bless you and your family

Burnell Malone

February 16, 2008

God Bless the family.
I admire him and Branson so much for their adventurous spirits. Can't help but hope this has a "Castaway" turn.

Jan Lisi

February 16, 2008

To soar, imagination, flight, passion, the look in the eyes, the set of the jaw, these undeniable attributes of a true adventurer. The quest never being to great. Never a failure, just an adjustment. Via con Dios, now on the wings of angels, the grand adventure begins.

Kathy

February 16, 2008

He did what he loved to do.. His family and friends are in my thoughts and prayers....

Dan Higgins

February 16, 2008

He was a great aviator and person. I wonder how many records he will try to break in Heaven. Godspeed Steve. Dan H. Aberdeen.

February 16, 2008

In My Pocket

I have memories in my pocket.
They rattle among the change.

My memories of you are treasures I carry wherever I go.

They are stored in bits and pieces, parts of a beautiful whole
They give me comfort when I think I am alone.

Yes, I have memories in my pocket, like so much other stuff I keep there.

But of all the treasures I have, it’s the memories of you that are the most precious.

Paul Palombo

February 16, 2008

Steve Fossett's life, full of excitement and adventure, is of the stuff adventure movies are made. In Steve's case, it was real on-the-edge-of-your-seat adventure. Sadly an American hero is gone.

February 16, 2008

You taught us that we must follow our dreams..reaching to new heights whenever we can.I just wonder what adventures you will find in your new world?Gone but never ever forgotten. A man of history,insight and imagination..

Mike Enright

February 16, 2008

Steve Fossett was truly an amazing man. The spirit of adventure was an integral part of his soul and he pushed the limits far beyond what the average man might ever contemplate.

Steve's legacy will rank with those of Sir Edmund Hillary, Earhardt, John Glen, Lewis and Clark, and a host of other great explorer / adventurer's.

Thank you for sharing your passion for sport and fearless sense of adventure Steve. You certainly lived a full and interesting life and will be missed. Godspeed.

Brian

February 16, 2008

Mr Fossett famliy Steve must have ben flying so fast he found Heven that way we can,t find hem. Brian

Victor Hwang

February 16, 2008

You were a very brave man, a pioneer in aviation.

Jay Davis

February 15, 2008

Steve was affable, gregarious, generous and wildly enthousiastic about anything he did. He taguht us all life lessons by mere example and led an exemplary life. We will miss him.

Jim Weir

February 15, 2008

A true adventurer, my hat is off to him. Walk proud my friend.

Traci Byrd

February 15, 2008

God Bless Steve and his family..

PATTY SCHOEN-JONES

February 15, 2008

DEAR FOSSETT FAMILY & FRIENDS,
HOW SADDENED I WAS THE DAY I HEARD STEVE WAS MISSING. I ENJOYED HEARING ABOUT HIS WONDERFUL ADVENTURES. HE WAS SUCH AN OUTSTANDING MAN. MAY THE LOVE OF OUR LORD COMFORT YOU DURING THIS CHALLENGING TIME. HOW WONDERFUL IT MUST BE FOR STEVE TO HAVE HIS OWN WINGS AND SOAR WITH THE OTHER ANGELS ABOVE.

Wolfgang Mey

February 15, 2008

Steve Fosset was a great person!
I followed most of his adventures on TV....unforgettable

Francis Simonds

February 15, 2008

Rest in Peace

Keith Bushong

February 15, 2008

Mr.Fosset was a great american hero. He will be missed by all.

larry mckissack

February 15, 2008

hi i wish to share my sorrow with his family and friends ,i enjoyed watching steve set his records and admire a man that has completed all he has to avaition,he will be missed ,i got patches from when he flew the global flyer ,and will cherish them ,rest in peace and fly with the clouds steve you deserve it

Douglas Jackson & Peggy Delaney

February 15, 2008

Godspeed . . .

Beth B

February 15, 2008

Watching the Global Flyer land in Salina, Kansas will always be one of my most cherished memories. Thanks, Mr. Fossett, for inspiring us to dream

Matthew Harper

Matthew Harper

February 15, 2008

Steve Fossett was a great man...a true adventurer. Even though I never met him..he inspired me. Since I work for Hawker/Beechcraft (formerly Raytheon Aircraft) in Salina, I was there when he took off and watched him land. It felt great to be a part of that historic moment!

Chasity

February 15, 2008

I followed Steve's travels on T.V.

And even though I didn't know him personally I believe Steve was an amazing person.

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Sign Steve Fossett's Guest Book

Not sure what to say?

March 1, 2019

Abelardo Le Compte posted to the memorial.

March 17, 2010

Someone posted to the memorial.

December 29, 2008

C. Janssen posted to the memorial.