David Thomas May, BHS 1954

David Thomas May, BHS 1954
August 18, 1936 - November 20, 2008

David Thomas (Tom) May was born August 18, 1936 in, Chicago, Illinois, to Joseph D. May and Gwin Sidebotham May. He passed away at the age of 72 on November 20, 2008, in Sequim, Washington.

A celbration of Life will be held on July 26, 2009. Tom graduated from Burbank High School in California. He graduated from Glendale Junior College in August, 1956. Tom received a B.A. in Political Science at Long Beach State in California. He was a class of 1983 graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.

In October 1956, Tom entered flight training at NAS Pensacola, Florida, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps and designated as a Navy Aviator in April 1958. In 1963, after completing an inter-service transfer to the Navy, Tom returned to active duty and was assigned as a flight instructor with HT-8. Since that time, he was assigned to HS-6, deployed aboard the USS Kearsarge for two tours in Southeast Asia, conducting ASW and combat search and rescue operations. In June 1970, he was assigned as the first officer-in-charge of HS-84. In November 1973. he was transferred to the Chief of Naval Reserve staff in New Orleans, where he served first as the Inspector General and later as the Helicopter Flight Programs Officer. He then served as Executive Officer of HS-84 from December 1976 to December 1977, and as the commanding officer of the squadron from December 1977 until June 1979. In August, 1983, he assumed command of the Naval Air Station, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. He was then reassigned to serve as the Deputy Commander of the Naval Reserve Readiness Command, Region 20, in San Francisco, California, where he later retired in 1989. During his time in the military, Capt. D.T. May was awarded eleven medals.

Tom married Patricia A. Bryan on June 16, 1973, in Imperial Beach, California. Tom and his wife, Patricia, retired in Sequim in 1989, where they built their home on Lost Mountain. He worked for the Sequim post office part-time as a rural route carrier. His hobbies were running marathons, flying planes and helicopters, camping, scuba diving, fishing, hiking and traveling, and he was also an avid reader.

He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Patricia A. May, who resides in Sequim; daughter, Joanie May, and son-in-law, Paul Kneuer, who also reside in Sequim; daughter, Delana Guzenski, of Alden, Pennsylvania; son aqnd daughter-in-law, Jon and Mamie May, of Mill Creek, Washington; son and daughter-in-law, Steve and Kelly May, of La Quinta, California; daughter and son-in-law, Rusti and Wayne Clark, of Port Angeles; sister and brother-in-law, Judy and John Sisk, of Palo Alto, California; 12 grandchilden and two great-grandchildren along with numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, grandparents and his youngest son, Daniel.

We wish to thank Olympic Medical Center, the Olympic Medical Cancer Center, Dr. Thomas Kummet and his wonderful staff, and Assured Hospice for their loving care during his last days. We will miss his humor, storytelling, dry wit and, most of all, the love he had to give to his family and friends.