Duane O. Callahan, Lt. Col. (Ret.) USAF, 89, of State College, passed away June 1, 2010. He is once again reunited with his beloved wife, Martha, who preceded him in death on Oct. 5, 2008.
Duane, a life-long pilot, has slipped the surly bonds of earth for his last flight to be with God forever.
Left behind are his two children, Mike Callahan of State College, and Margaret Myers of Ladysmith, Va.; five grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.
Duane proudly served his country for over 20 years of active duty. He was a decorated veteran of both WWII and Korea, with a total of 95 combat missions flown. His squadron was the first to fly over Utah Beach on D-Day, and he piloted the third bomber in that formation. After retiring from active duty he accepted the position as airport manager at Williamsport. From there he went on to become a pilot for Penn State, where he remained until retirement. Duane enjoyed his retirement years. He and Martha had a winter home in Fla. where they both lived life to the fullest – golfing, sightseeing and, most of all, flying their airplane. Nothing intrigued Duane more than flying. It was his life-long passion. Now it is his time to "fly away". Duane was truly one of a kind.
Visitation will be 3-9 p.m. on Friday, June 4, 2010, at Koch Funeral Home, 2401 S. Atherton St., State College. Duane's funeral service will be 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 5, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church with the Rev. Bryan Spang officiating. Burial will be at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery next to Martha at 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 7.
In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 851 North Science Park Road, State College, PA 16803.