Wally,88, died June 28, 2003. He grew up in Waldo Hills near Salem, Oregon. After high school he took flying lessons and earned his pilot's license in 1935. During WWII Wally trained pilots for the military through the War Training Service in Oregon. He was also a test pilot for Douglas Aircraft during the war.

In 1952 he started flying seasonally for the Forest Service and became Chief Pilot for the Okanogan N.F. in 1954. Wally flew smokejumpers for the North Cascades Base for eight seasons from 1952-59. He became USFS Regional Air Officer (R-6) and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1976. During his 41-year flying career, he logged over 21,000 hours.