David Dryer

All he ever wanted to do was fly. Finally, in his 26th year, he got the chance.
That pilot, David Dean Dryer, was born in Des Moines, on Jan. 10, 1939, to William Ernest and Florence Glee Dryer. When the United States entered WWII in 1941, the family moved to Texas, where Ernie was a flight instructor in the Army Air Corps. It's easy to understand why flying was in his son's blood!
After the death of his father in a plane crash in 1945, David, his mother and little sister, Nancy, returned to Iowa. He attended the Atlantic Public Schools, graduating with the class of 1957.
On June 15, 1958, David married his high school sweetheart, Janet Jean Parmley, and the young couple moved to Maryville, Mo., where David earned a bachelor's degree summa cum laude in physics and mathematics at Northwest Missouri State College. Also during the Maryville years, they became the parents of two awesome little girls, Kymberly and Leslie.
Upon David's graduation in 1962, the family moved to Santa Monica, Calif., where David had accepted a position as an engineer at Douglas Aircraft Co. However, his urge to fly became so strong that in 1964, he resigned and entered the United States Air Force.
After finishing first in his navigator training classes in Texas, David was assigned to Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod, Mass., where he flew EC-121 (Connie) airplanes and achieved the rank of captain. But in his spare time, he acquired all the flight hours and certifications he needed to become a commercial pilot. In 1969, David was hired by United Airlines and spent the next 30 years pursuing his dream career, flying Boeing 727s and 737s out of Chicago, Los Angeles and Denver – again achieving the rank of captain.
Retiring in 1999, he and Janet traveled the country in their motor home, visiting friends and family and touring Civil War battlefields and other historical sites. He also enjoyed tinkering with computers, reading good books and savoring his wife's cooking. In May of 2016, with their house in Colorado, motor home and motorcycles sold, they moved permanently to their winter "nest" in Tucson, Ariz.
The last few years of David's life were spent in a prolonged battle with prostate cancer, until, in pilot-speak, he "flew west" on March 11, 2017, at age 78.
He was preceded in death by his parents; stepfather L.H. "Swede" Burgman; father - and mother-in-law Glenn and Esther Parmley; sister Nancy Kobernusz; and sister-in-law Phyllis Andersen. Survivors include his wife; daughter Kymberly (Andrew) Doucette of Foothill Ranch, Calif.; daughter Leslie (Eric) Runde of St. Augustine, Fla.; stepbrother Russ (Sharon) Burgman of Omaha, Neb.; brother-in-law Ron (Harriet) Parmley of Phoenix, Ariz.; six precious grandchildren; two beautiful, lively great-grandsons; and numerous nieces and nephews.
In accordance with David's wishes, no services will be held. However, those who wish may make a contribution in his memory to Soreo Hospice & Palliative Care, 2475 E. Water St., Tucson, Ariz. 85719.