Cdr Daum passed away Nov. 8, 2014
Richard August Daum's battle with pancreatic cancer ended on Nov. 8 at his home in Danville, Calif., in the arms of his wife of 52 years, Clare Hasenpusch Daum, surrounded by his beloved family.
His fighting spirit, which defined his 79 years, never faltered in his final months of life.
Dick was born on Sept. 25, 1935, on a farm in Butler to Austrian immigrants August and Johanna.
He attended Penn State where he studied chemistry.
In 1955, he joined the Naval Aviation Cadet Program. In 1957, he was commissioned an ensign and designated a naval aviator. He flew the F2H-4 Banshee aboard the USS Randolph and the USS Saratoga. In 1960, he went to Monterey, Calif., to attend the Naval Postgraduate School where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Naval Science.
It was during this time that his life would forever change, when in 1961 he met the love of his life, Clare, and they were married in July of 1962. In 1963, the first of two sets of twins arrived with the births of Patty and Polly followed by Peggy and Ricky just 18 months later.
Dick's Naval career would continue for 21 years with most of those years spent flying a reconnaissance aircraft, the RA5C Vigilante, which took his family to Sanford, Fla., Albany, Ga., Key West, Fla., and back to Alameda, Calif., where they settled in nearby Danville.
When he retired from the Navy, he had more than 800 carrier landings and almost 150 combat missions in Vietnam. He received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, nine Air Medals, two Navy Commendation Medals and the Navy Achievement Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device.
After retiring as a naval aviator, he started a second career that lasted 23 years as a vice president with Dean Witter Reynolds in Berkeley, Calif.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Patty (Wayne) Harvey, Polly (Tim) Hackett, Peggy (Tim) Mitchell, and Rick (Shana) Daum, and his beloved grandchildren, Will and Hannah Harvey, Shelby and Nick Hackett, Mandy Mitchell, and Eleanor and Grace Daum.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his older brother, Ted.
He was a voracious reader, an avid sports fan - especially of his Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates, Penn State, U.C. Davis football and San Francisco Giants - a devoted Papa, a great storyteller, a master of the one liners, and in his later years, a rabid coin collector.
Daum- A memorial Mass for Richard August Daum, who passed away Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014, will be at 11 a.m. Nov. 28 at the Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 322 St. James Drive, Piedmont, Calif.
Donations can be made to the Hospice of the East Bay, 550 Morello Ave., Martinez, CA 94553.
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