Sallada USN Retired Captain William F.

Captain William F. Sallada, USN, RetiredBill Sallada, of Charlottesville, Virginia, died at peace December 17, 2015 at Westminster-Canterbury of the Blue Ridge, in the company of family, closing a full and accomplished 90 year life: an Officer and a Gentleman."O Captain, My Captain! Our fearful trip is done; The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won…"  [Walt Whitman] William Farnsworth Sallada was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, 18 September 1925, to Adm. and Mrs. H. B. Sallada, and so, with his brother, Robert, was destined for the U.S. Navy. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1948 and earned his wings as a Naval Aviator in 1949. While attached to the USS Leyte (CV-32), he met Elisabeth (Betsy) Lee during shore leave in Cannes, France. They were married in Philadelphia in 1951. Children Sue and Rob followed in 1954 and 1960.As a F4U Corsair fighter pilot in Squadron VF-33 in the Korean War from 1950-53, he flew many missions, including close support for the battle of Chosin Reservoir. After Missile School in Texas and service at the Naval Missile Test Center in California; he was again deployed on board the USS Hancock (CV-19), then after Jet Transition training in Kansas, was assigned to Squadron VF-124. At the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., he earned two Masters degrees, in Electrical and Aeronautical Engineering. He transitioned to A-4 Skyhawks in Attack Squadron VA-43 and commanded Attack Squadron VA-86 in Vietnam 1962-65. From 1965-67, he was at Norfolk, Va., assigned to Commander Naval Air Forces, Atlantic Fleet staff. He served as Commanding Officer of Attack Squadron VA-174, based in Florida, then returned to Vietnam as Executive Officer of the carrier USS Intrepid (CVS-11). After sea and air duty, he joined the Office of Naval Research in Washington, D.C., and served as Director, Aircraft and Weapons Research Division, at Naval Air Systems Command. Retirement from active duty in 1978 led to continued work in naval aviation as a consulting civilian. He never took a private pilot's license after retirement; finding it a bit too tame.After such long service (including 120 Combat Sorties and over 700 Carrier landings) he had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (3 times), Bronze Star, Navy Commendation (3 times), Air Medal (9 times), Navy Unit Commendation (3 times) and the Distinguished Service Order 1st Class (from Gov't of South Vietnam). And after so many moves, Bill and Betsy settled in Virginia Beach in 1985, where he offered tax assistance through AARP and their church. He and Betsy toured the country in their restored Mercedes-Benz, and he even raced it a bit. In 1994, he and his brother partnered to own and operate a business venture in Charlottesville, Va. Together, they also bought a home on a large lot and built another house, so both families could be close and Betsy could have care for encroaching Alzheimer's disease. Bill cared for Betsy lovingly for many years. They moved to Westminster-Canterbury of the Blue Ridge (WCBR): she to the memory care unit, he to an apartment there to be her constant support. Bill continued his service after Betsy's death in 2007, supporting charities and church, as well as serving on committees and boards at WCBR, where he was universally known and loved.He is survived by his brother, Robert V. Sallada; daughter, Sue (John) Corey; son, Robert F. (Dena) Sallada; grandchildren, Samantha Corey, Ethan Corey, and Leah Sallada; along with many friends and admirers who already miss him terribly.Interment will be private, at Arlington National Cemetery, with military honors.In lieu of flowers, his family encourages donations to: Alzheimer's Association Central and Western Virginia, 1160 Pepsi Place, Suite 306, Charlottesville, VA 22901,  (434) 973-6122, alzcwva@alz.org); or Westminster-Canterbury of the Blue Ridge, attn: Foundation Office, 250 Pantops Mountain Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22911, (434) 972-2622, http://westminstercanterbury.org/foundation/; or USS Intrepid Museum, One Intrepid Square, W 46th St & 12th Ave, New York, NY 10036, (646) 381-5271, https://www.intrepidmuseum.org.Condolences may be sent to the family at www.hillandwood.com.