Douglas Craig Oetting

1946 - 2022

Douglas Craig "Doug" Oetting, aged 75, formerly of Wood River, Illinois, died of mesothelioma, peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on March 15, 2022, at Pensacola, Florida,
Doug was born on May 11, 1946, in Bloomington, Illinois, and grew up in Wood River, Illinois, the younger of two sons of Howard August Oetting, of Wood River, and Eva Van Winkle Oetting, of Bloomington, who were both public school teachers. His paternal grandparents, Louis Oetting and Matilda Koch Oetting, grew up on farms in Black Walnut, St. Charles County, Missouri. His maternal grandfather Robert Van Winkle was a building contractor and he and wife Catherine Petersohn Van Winkle moved to Bloomington from rural Indiana. His brother Robert Louis Oetting was born in 1940 and both attended East Alton-Wood River Community High School, where their father taught them physics and chemistry.
Doug's marriage to Gloria Adelle Mroski, of Pensacola, Florida in 1973 ended in divorce. Ms. Mroski and Doug have one daughter, Rebecca Adelle Oetting. His marriage, to Bernadette Frances "Jill" Robey, from Edgewood, Pennsylvania on January 1, 2000, flourished. They met while crew members flying for US Air and Jill had a high tolerance for Doug's Midwest humor and multiple interests. They shared a passion for travel and boating and enjoyed many adventures and laughs over the years. She surely was his soulmate.
Doug attended University of Illinois and received a BS in Engineering in 1969. While at U of I he was a member of Kappa Sigma social fraternity and participated in the Marine Corps Platoon Leader Course and he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps upon graduation. He discovered flying while obtaining his Private Pilot Certificate at the U of I Institute of Aviation and graduated from Naval Flight Training and was designated a Naval Aviator in 1970. Military service took him from the East Coast of the U.S. to the Far East and Australia.
He initially trained in the F-4 Phantom II with Marine Fighter Squadron-333, the "Fighting Shamrocks", at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, SC, then served as an Instructor Pilot with Training Squadron-4 at Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL flying T-2 Buckeyes, F-9 Cougars, and A-4 Skyhawks. His patience with struggling student pilots earned him their admiration and a reputation for empathy. His extraordinary piloting skill and coolness under pressure were demonstrated when he "dead-sticked" a Buckeye onto Faircloth Airfield after a student pilot accidently shut down both engines while executing a routine emergency procedure, thus avoiding an ejection for himself and the student pilot and an accident for the squadron and saved a valuable airplane for the taxpayers.
He then served with Marine Attack Squadron-223 "Bulldogs" flying the new A-4M Skyhawks for a Western Pacific tour, including trans-Pacific flights over and back, deployment to Australia, and operations from the carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in the South China Sea. It was with the Bulldogs that he was given the callsign "Dogman", as the squadron plaque hanging in the National Naval Aviation Museum in NAS Pensacola can attest.
Following a tour as Air Officer for the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines at Camp Lejeune, NC, Doug left the Marine Corps in 1978 in the rank of Major and, after brief employment as an engineer with Ford Motor Co., was employed as a First Officer for Pacific Southwest Airlines and as a certified Air Transport Pilot and Captain for US Airways where he flew the McDonnell Douglas-80 and Boeing-737 on domestic and Caribbean routes. His reputation for empathy and coolness followed him to US Airways where he was designated a Check Airman for the MD-80, introducing transitioning pilots to that airplane. He and wife Jill took advantage of their Pittsburgh domicile to purchase and live aboard their houseboat "Naut Reality" docked in Beaver, PA on the Ohio River. There Doug earned Coast Guard designation as a Master Captain for 200-ton vessels. After the death of his father, Doug's mother Eva Oetting followed them to Beaver where she resided ashore.
Following retirement from US Airways in 2006, Doug and Jill cruised downriver where Doug was an Aviation Safety Inspector and Aircrew Program Manager for the MD-11 cargo aircraft for the Federal Aviation Administration at United Parcel Service (UPS) international cargo airlines in Louisville, Kentucky, overseeing operations there. His extraordinary knowledge and skill as a pilot-in-command particularly suited him for that position and he gained yet another ATP type rating.
Following retirement from the FAA, Doug and Jill moved ashore into their dream home on the water, not far from Naval Air Station Pensacola, the birthplace of Naval Aviation. Whether entertaining former squadron-mates or sipping wine on the patio while watching porpoises frolic in the water and the Blue Angels practice overhead, retired life was good!
Doug is survived by his wife Jill, daughter Rebecca Oetting and granddaughter Evalan of Burkburnett, TX, stepdaughter Danielle Torres (Mauricio) of Denver, CO, and grandchildren Daniel, Dylan, Abby, and Aleks, stepdaughter Aja Barrett (Andy), of Pensacola, FL and grandson Aidan, and brother Bob (Sally) of Bethesda, MD and niece Meghan Gotkin of Chantilly, VA. Doug's parents Howard and Eva Oetting died in 2000 and 2010. Doug has been a pillar of strength and example to all who love him throughout his illness. As the poet reminds us, "To fly west, my friend, is a flight we all must take for a final check."
Doug was not unlike most in that he experienced failures and disappointments, professional and personal. He credited his loving and secure childhood for preparing him for those, and his brother Bob for connecting him to his family. His parents were very supportive and limited their advice to, "Remember to kick the tire", an allusion to pre-flighting an airplane. For all the achievement and adventure, Doug was most proud to be the father of the strong, capable woman who is his daughter Rebecca, stepfather to Aja and Danielle, and grandfather to their children.
If reincarnated, Doug plans to return as the owner-manager-bartender of the "Naut Reality" Tiki-Bar on Pensacola Beach.