Burt S. Aukerman

October 3, 1944 - October 12, 2023 Burt Stephen Aukerman passed away October 12, 2023 at age 79 in Orange, California after a two-year battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife of 58 years Linda Aukerman, his son Scott and daughter-in-law Kulap, his daughter-in-law Jami, daughter Bethany and granddaughter Emerald. He leaves two half-sisters in Arizona- Suzan Michelle, Julie Clark and her husband Joseph. He was preceded in death by his son Burt Gregory Aukerman, his father Burt Morrison Aukerman and his step-mother Betty Traphagen Aukerman. Burt's birth mother Frances Linsley passed away due to childbirth complications after giving birth to him in Los Angeles, California.
Burt's early life was spent living in many locations with his family, as his father served in the Air Force. He came to Los Angeles to attend trade school after graduating from high school in Japan. It was in Los Angeles that he met and married Linda Welborn in July 1965. Less than a year later, he enlisted in the Army with the hopes of becoming a helicopter pilot. After training at Ft. Wolters, TX and Ft. Rucker, AL he left for duty in Vietnam where he first was assigned to the 170th AHC then transferred to the 57th AHC in Kontum. Upon returning to the states, he, Linda and infant son went to Fort Stewart Army airfield, GA. After a two-year assignment and the birth of another son, the family relocated to the Los Angeles area, where he enlisted in the Army National Guard and served as a helicopter test pilot until retiring from the Army in 1990.
He worked as a machinist, a corporate helicopter pilot for Fluor Corporation, then purchased and ran Cinch Manufacturing for several years. Burt was a manager at C&D Aerospace until retiring in 2007. Burt and Linda moved to Payson, AZ where he built a beautiful home-which was a life-long ambition. Health issues began taking a toll, necessitating a return to CA in 2015.
A memorial service is scheduled for December 2023 at Trinity United Presbyterian church in Tustin, and an internment at the Los Angeles National Cemetery is scheduled for the same month.