Lyall de la Mater Jr. Born: October 7, 1919, in Saranac Lake
Died: May 25, 2004
Married: Esmee
Children: Susan Faber; Tracy Goldberg; David Lyall
Lt. Col. Lyall Davies de la Mater, Jr. was a Korean War veteran, having served in the U.S. Air Force as a fighter and bomber pilot. He subsequently worked for the Pentagon and United Airlines. He is buried at West Point.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, June 5, 2004
Lyall Davies de la Mater Jr.
AURORA, Colo. - Lt. Col. Lyall Davies de la Mater Jr. (USAF Ret), of Aurora, Colo., died on May 25,2004.
He was born Oct. 7, 1919, in J Saranac Lake, the son of Natalie Ruth Walton and Lyall Davies de la Mater Sr.
In 1929, at the age of 9, Lyall became the North American Amateur Outdoor Speed Skating Champion in Lake Placid. He played hockey during his teen years, later playing for West Point and then the Air Force while in Germany in the late 1940s.
Lyall was a 1937 graduate of Saranac Lake High School, after which he studied at Northwood School in Lake Placid for a year. He attended St. Lawrence University in Canton before being admitted to the United States Military Academy at West Point, from which he graduated in 1944.
He served in the U.S. Air Force as a fighter and bomber pilot during the Korean War, from 1950 through 1952, with the 307th Bomber Wing, based in Kadina, Japan. He observed the Inchon landing while flying north on a bombing run. He then served for 4 years at the Pentagon, followed by a tour of duty at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Paris for several years. He retired from the United States Air Force in 1962.
Lyall became manager of flight operations marketing at United Airlines' Flight Training Center in Denver, Colo., where he worked for more than 20 years. He sold the flight training facilities of United Airlines to many airlines and individuals all over the world. He retired in 1988, but he kept in touch with many of his former clients until the day he died.
He was a member of the Order of Daedalians, Mile High Flight 18; Military Officers Association, Mile High Chapter, National Association of Uniformed Services Rocky Mountain Chapter, Colorado No. 1; Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No.l; American Legion LCW Post No. 1.
He is survived by Esmee, his beloved wife of 35 years. Lyall is also survived by his two daughters: Susan (Robert) Faber of Montgomery Village, Md., and Tracy (Donald) Goldberg of Chevy Chase, Md.; his son David (Michelle) Lyall of Yampa, Colo.; seven grandchildren: Bruce, Lisa, Hanna, Ben, Lyall, Dylan and Chase; and four great grandchildren: Drew, Abby, Nick and Paige.
A celebration of Lyall's life will be held at noon Friday, June 25, at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 7711 E Academy Blvd., Denver, Colo. A committal service will be held at the Cadet Cemetery of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in late August…
