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1st Lt. Dale Gaffney

Started by ironputts, March 02, 2019, 08:09:44 PM

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ironputts

February 1, 2019



1st Lt. Dale Gaffney
Williamsport Composite Squadron 401
Pennsylvania Wing

Dale Gaffney, 70, of Williamsport, passed away, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2019, at UPMC Susquehanna.
He was born Aug. 19, 1948, in Williamsport, a son of the late Joseph F. and Ella Mae (Ranck) Gaffney.
Dale was a graduate of Williamsport High School. He joined the Army in September of 1967 and served as a crew chief in Vietnam. Later Dale served in the Pennsylvania National Guard and the Civil Air Patrol. In his nearly 50 years of service with the Civil Air Patrol, Dale achieved the rank of Lieutenant, and while he held many different positions with the local unit, in the 1990s he was the Williamsport Commander.
While serving in the National Guard in 1977, Dale had gotten seriously injured in a skydiving accident and spent six months in the VA hospital recuperating. Dale was guest of honor at a National Guard air show but due to the seriousness of his injuries and being confined to a stretcher he had to be transported along with his personal physician to the show by the ANG 111th Tactical Air Support Group. There was a specially built reviewing stand for him to watch the air show by the Army's Golden Knight Parachute Team, meet fellow members of his unit and receive his awards for his outstanding service.
In his personal time, he enjoyed reading, helping others and he was an avid photographer, and parachuting enthusiast.
Dale is survived by one sister, Lanea P. Ruffaner (Robert) of Winfield; two nieces, Lanette (Ruffaner) Micheletti, of Schnecksville, and LeAnn (Ruffaner) Baker of Hagerstown, Md.; and one nephew, R. Todd Ruffaner of Texas. He was preceded in death by one brother, Wayne Gaffney.
Greg Putnam, Lt. Col., CAP