Maurice A Rondeau - three wars, test pilot, Air Force One captain - RIP

Antipodean Andy · Nov 30, 2008

Test pilot who went to war and flew presidents gravitated to adventure - Press-Telegram

Only days before his death, 90-year-old Maurice A. Rondeau was climbing a mountain near his Idaho home.

"He was fit as a fiddle and was doing calisthenics at 90, but he only had 20 percent heart function," said his son, Dan Rondeau. "That's what gave him a heart attack - climbing a mountain."

But the retired Air Force officer, whose career spanned three wars, a stint with the legendary test pilots immortalized in Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff," and wrapped up at the controls of Air Force One for two presidents, was doing what he loved.

"Even if he had been 100, it would have been a shock," said his son. "Because he was fit, active and lived life to its fullest on his terms."

Maurice Rondeau died Nov. 12 of complications following open heart surgery in Long Beach.

He was born in Wauregan, Conn., in 1918. He became a mechanic after trade school and moved to California. There he met his wife of almost 65 years, Mary Jane.

They moved to Lakewood in the 1950s.

Rondeau's passion for flying began during his youth. He volunteered and became an aviation cadet during WWII.

"Dad was a very highly decorated Air Force pilot, having defended this country in three wars, World War II, Korea and Vietnam," Dan said. "He was also a test pilot who flew and worked with Paul Tibbetts and Chuck Yeager."

According to his son, Col.Rondeau was one of the "courageous men" referred to in the book and the subsequent movie,

"The Right Stuff."
"He helped bring the Air Force from piston-engine aircraft to jets," his son said.

The Rondeaus moved to Salmon, Idaho, in the late '60s, a few years before his 1970 retirement.

"His retired years were spent between California and Idaho," Dan said. "He read about Salmon, Idaho, in a fishing magazine and he went fishing there, caught his limit in an hour and said `This is it, this is where I want to live."'

Rondeau quickly became influential in his community, serving as fire chief, water district chairman and chairman of the homeowners association.

"He did all sorts of things. He was busy in his `so-called' retirement years," Dan said. "He just lived life and did whatever he wanted. He was up early every morning and charged to do something. He wanted to stay busy and wanted to help people."

The community in turn grew to admire the retired Air Force pilot they called "The Colonel."

"It didn't take long for someone to feel they'd known him a long time and feel endeared to him," Dan said. "When 911 came to get him out of the house, he was waving to everyone in the neighborhood as they put him in the ambulance."

Rondeau's military experiences made him a great storyteller, his son said.

One of his favorite yarns was about a 1953 flight. The plane caught fire, forcing him to bail out. He bumped his head as he jumped, knocking himself out for a few seconds.

Floating down, he came to, scanned the area, located a nearby hospital, guided the parachute to the front of the facility and walked in.

More than 50 years later, Rondeau's determination was unchanged. Even after his heart attack, he insisted on driving himself to Long Beach for treatment.

"He lived life on his own terms, so he drove himself to California for his surgery," Dan said. "He had nine lives. He was shot at in combat, jumped out of planes - so many things he did were dangerous."

Dan recalled that, at 88, his father was given two speeding tickets within 200 miles of each other for exceeding 90 miles per hour each time.

"His solution was not to drive slower, but to get a better radar detector," he said.

It was that zest for life that qualified the 90-year-old for open-heart surgery.

"Doctors don't normally offer open-heart surgery to someone his age, but they saw his love for life and said `we'll do it,"' his son said.

Rondeau ended his flying career piloting Air Force One for presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon, but he was still a humble man, said his son.

"My father treated people who seemed unimportant like they were the president. It didn't matter if the guy was the prime minister of New Zealand or president or just an everyday person, he treated everyone as if they were special," Dan said.

"He was devoted to helping people fix things, either in their personal life or electronics or mechanical. He was just there for them and he never asked for anything in return," he said. "He was devoted to people and devout in his own spirituality."

Dan believes his father will be remembered most for his desire to help people and to make them laugh.

"I will remember his sense of commitment, his contributions to mankind and his sense of humor," he said. "I know that I will never do it the same way he did it, but he never slacked in his entire 90 years. He was full-throttle the whole way."

Rondeau was buried at the Riverside National Cemetery on Nov. 21 with full military honors.

He is survived by his wife, his sons Steve and Dan, six grandchildren - David, Mary, Michele, Christopher, Maurisa and Stephanie - and 11 great-grandchildren.
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liverpool annie · Dec 2, 2008

Antipodean Andy said: ↑

Test pilot who went to war and flew presidents gravitated to adventure - Press-Telegram
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He's in good company ... though I read his son had a hard time getting him in there !!!!!! ( can you believe that ?? )

Riverside National Cemetery

Lillian Kinkela Keil, Captain, U.S. Air Force. Air Force Flight Nurse Pioneer. She flew on 425 combat missions and took part in 11 major campaigns that included the D-Day invasion and Battle of the Bulge in World War II and the Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korea War. One of the most decorated women in American military history, she was awarded 19 medals, including a European Theater medal with four battle stars, a Korean service medal with seven battle stars, four air medals and a Presidential Citation from the Republic of Korea. Section 20A Site 1235

Obituary: Lillian Keil, flight nurse, tended to 10,000 wounded soldiers | The-Tidings.com

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