cancer

Michael (Mike) Lee Mosbrooker, 81, of Oak Harbor, Washington, passed away on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, at home surrounded by his family after a brief battle with metastatic melanoma. Memorial service will be held at 10am on Thursday, March 5, 2020, at Wallin Funeral Home in Oak Harbor, with Chaplain David G. Lura officiating. Mike was born in Valley City, North Dakota to Alvin and Elvira Mosbrooker on Friday, June 17, 1938. Mike’s family moved to Los Angeles when Mike was 5. Mike worked alongside his dad and grandfather as a carpenter, finishing his apprenticeship at age 19. He was also an auto enthusiast, working as a body and fender specialist and drag racing in his spare time. Mike earned a degree in applied mathematics from California Polytechnic State University where he also participated in Glee Club, ROTC, and the National Society of Scabbard and Blade. He later earned a master’s degree in nuclear physics from the Naval Postgraduate School. Mike served for 20 years in the United States Army, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was a Senior Army Parachutist and Ranger and served with the 75th Artillery, 10th Special Forces, 1st Infantry Division, 46th Artillery, 173rd Airborne Brigade, 76th Artillery and the 3rd Infantry Division in addition to multiple staff positions. Mike earned multiple decorations including the Legion of Merit, six Bronze Star Medals for Valor and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. After retiring from the military, Mike held multiple positions as an engineer and program manager. He later built and managed apartment buildings with his good friend, Robert Rathe. Mike met and married Judith (Judie) Ruth Ginsberg while he was stationed in Bad Tölz, Germany with Special Forces. Mike and Judie had three children: Patti, Mike and Eric. Judie died in 1991 after a short battle with breast cancer. Mike married Helen Swanner in 1992 and they have resided together in Oak Harbor since 1994. Mike had many loves in his life in addition to his family: beagles, model airplanes, traveling, golfing, boating, sports, piloting airplanes and spending time in his workshop. Mike started flying model airplanes at age 5 with his mother’s help and flew his final flight on New Year’s Day 2020. Mike held many leadership positions with the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) and was awarded the AMA Fellowship Award in 2020 for his distinguished service. Mike and Helen traveled in their trailer (with beagles) to numerous model airplane events and also traveled (without beagles) to Europe, Asia, Australasia and South America. Mike’s greatest joy were his three grandchildren: Jesse (18), Caroline (16), and Zachary (11 months). Mike also had two stepchildren: Tammy and David; and six step-grandchildren. In addition to his children and grandchildren, Mike is survived by his wife, Helen; brother, Harold; numerous nieces, grandnieces and grandnephews; his son-in-law, Jon; and daughters-in-law, Lisa and Karyn. Mike lived a full life and he was admired, respected and loved by those he touched. In lieu of flowers, Mike requested memorials be made to the AMA Foundation at https://www.modelaircraft.org/donate or the Toddler Learning Center at https://www.tlcwhidbey.org/ways-you-can-help.

A Walk of Fame brick purchased in memory of Mike by his loving family

Remembering Michael Blair

Michael Len Blair, 53, of Vine Grove, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, July 31, 2019, after several months of battling cancer. After a recent short visit to his daughter’s home in Huntsville, he spent his last few days surrounded by family and friends.  Lindsey, his daughter, was the light of his life and gave Mike the reason to fight every health challenge that came his way through the years. Mike’s life passions were his daughter, his dog, family, friends, motorcycles, rock concerts, and radio controlled flying.  He was the club secretary and long-time member of the local Hardin County Radio Control Modelers of Elizabethtown. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that contributions may be made to the Academy of Model Aeronautics Foundation, 5161 E. Memorial Dr., Muncie, IN  47302, (Modelaircraft.org/donate) in honor of Mike’s passion for model aviation. See Michael's full obituary HERE  

Michael Blair Memorial Fly-In

The Flying For Good featured March submission is the Coffee Airfoilers. The club is located in Tullahoma, TN. The club hosts their annual "Fly Away Cancer" event in April. The event will be held on April 27 at their flying field off of Wattendorf Highway in Tullahoma. There will be a pilot landing fee of $25 which includes lunch. All net proceeds will be donated to the Multi-County Cancer Support Network. The club has worked to raise $2,885 over the years at this event. The AMA Foundation wants to know how your club has given back to charity. To learn more about the Flying For Good Program, click here.

The Flying For Good featured February submission is the Erie RC Club. The club is located in Erie, IL. The club hosted the annual Quad Cities Children's Cancer Fly. At the event, there were turbine jets, helicopters, sports planes, biplanes, gliders, planes as big as 60 percent and more. There is always something flying in the air at the event. Eighty pilots registered for the event. At night, spectators can camp in the primitive field and night fly. The event raised almost $6,000 for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. The AMA Foundation would like to thank the Erie RC Club for their hard work and dedication to raising money for a Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. The AMA wants to know how your club has given back to charity. To learn more about the Flying For Good Program, click here.  

It’s always sad when the AMA community loses a dedicated model aircraft enthusiast, but many ensure their interest in flying continues well beyond their passing. Charles E. Klabunde has donated over $16,000 to the AMA Foundation in support of the future of our hobby, the preservation of timeless artifacts, and the fight to protect member’s right to flight. Born October 28, 1931, Charles lived in Niagra Falls, NY and graduated from NFHS, the local high school, in 1949. He would then go on to graduate from the University of Illinois in 1955 with a Master of Science degree in physics. Later working at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Charles researched a number of topics, most recently super-conductivity. He retired in 1996. In his retirement, he was a man of many passions, dedicating himself to hiking, folk dancing, photography, and model flight. Charles was an active member of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club, the Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy leading many hikes along the Appalachian Trail through the Smokies. Friends knew him as Charlie; a consummate advocate for the conservation of natural Tennessee. He was a regular at the Oak Ridge Folk Dancers, sweeping many lucky partners off their feet. He built and flew multiple radio control model planes throughout the course of his life. Charles passed away from cancer earlier this year at the age of 84 in Oak Ridge, TN.  Friends and family will miss a truly dear friend. We are thankful for members like Charles whose passionate commitment to model flight continues to support the AMA Foundation. To learn more about the AMA Foundation and how to donate, visit the Foundation website.