Bernard A. Daetwyler passed away peacefully at age 91 at the Presbyterian Home in Lexington, SC, where he had resided since 2001. He was known affectionately to his friends as 'Daet'. He was born in Norton, WV, the son of the late Eugene Carl Daetwyler and Anna Vogel Daetwyler. He met Martha Kilgore Leonard, native of Spartanburg County, in 1943 at Winthrop College where she was a student and he was an Army Air Corps cadet. They married 21 December 1946, following World War II.
Daet attended Davis and Elkins College and graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1950, then performed graduate work at the University of Kentucky and USC. He retired in 1983 as Senior Vice President for Business Affairs of the University of South Carolina, where he started in 1954 as Chief Accountant. He remained a faithful lifelong Carolina Gamecock fan!
He served his country during World War II in the Pacific Theater as a P-47 fighter pilot flying combat missions over Japan and Korea. His love of flying began while listening to his father describe the biplane fighter dogfights he witnessed serving in the Army Signal Corp during World War I in France. In grammar school his teachers would identify his papers not by his name but by the airplanes he drew on them. After the war, while a student at USC, he joined the 169th "Swamp Fox" Fighter Squadron, South Carolina Air National Guard, as a pilot. He loved to fly and remained on flying status with the Air Guard until his retirement in 1972 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Twice during national crises he returned to active duty when the 169th FS was activated; in 1950 for the Korean War, and again in 1961 for the Cuban Missile Crisis when the unit deployed to Spain. He remained life-long friends with his comrades-in-arms with whom he served his nation and his adopted state of South Carolina. Daet was active in military organizations including The Reserve Officers Association, the Military Order of the World Wars and he served as a former President of the Columbia Chapter of the Air Force Association. For more than half a century his community was enriched by his service in church and civic affairs. He was a member of Shandon Presbyterian Church since 1954, serving in many positions including Elder, and Moderator of Trinity Presbytery. He was active in The Rotary serving as its President, and in the United Way, serving on the Higher Education Division and a number of budgeting committees. He was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, honorary service fraternity, and Delta Sigma Pi, professional fraternity. Daet's service to the community included SC Student Loan Corporation, Richland Memorial Hospital, USC School of Medicine Medical Services Foundation; Carolina Research and Development Foundation; and the Carolina Education Foundation Board. In 1983 after retiring from USC, Governor Richard Riley appointed him as Chairman of the newly created State Health and Human Services Finance Commission. For this service he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, the State's highest civilian award. He is fondly remembered by his grandchildren as an avid sailor. He would often take them out on Lake Murray sailing whenever they would come to visit. In 1975, he was Commodore of the Columbia Sailing Club and remained an active member.
Surviving are his daughter, Martha L. Daetwyler and granddaughter, Amanda Irion, both of San Francisco; and son, Michael B. Daetwyler (Lt.Col. USAFR retired) of Colorado Springs, married to the former Catherine Kiester, and their children, Christopher Daetwyler (Rachel Crawford Daetwyler) of Columbia; Anna Morgan (Micah Morgan) of Colorado Springs; Creighton Daetwyler, currently serving in the United States Air Force; and three great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held from 4 until 6:00 p.m. Thursday, January 8, 2015, at Dunbar Funeral Home, 3926 Devine St. in Columbia and will be followed by a memorial service at Shandon Presbyterian Church on Friday, January 9, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. Memorials may be made to Thornwell Orphanage in Clinton, or Shandon Presbyterian Church in Columbia.
Daet attended Davis and Elkins College and graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1950, then performed graduate work at the University of Kentucky and USC. He retired in 1983 as Senior Vice President for Business Affairs of the University of South Carolina, where he started in 1954 as Chief Accountant. He remained a faithful lifelong Carolina Gamecock fan!
He served his country during World War II in the Pacific Theater as a P-47 fighter pilot flying combat missions over Japan and Korea. His love of flying began while listening to his father describe the biplane fighter dogfights he witnessed serving in the Army Signal Corp during World War I in France. In grammar school his teachers would identify his papers not by his name but by the airplanes he drew on them. After the war, while a student at USC, he joined the 169th "Swamp Fox" Fighter Squadron, South Carolina Air National Guard, as a pilot. He loved to fly and remained on flying status with the Air Guard until his retirement in 1972 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Twice during national crises he returned to active duty when the 169th FS was activated; in 1950 for the Korean War, and again in 1961 for the Cuban Missile Crisis when the unit deployed to Spain. He remained life-long friends with his comrades-in-arms with whom he served his nation and his adopted state of South Carolina. Daet was active in military organizations including The Reserve Officers Association, the Military Order of the World Wars and he served as a former President of the Columbia Chapter of the Air Force Association. For more than half a century his community was enriched by his service in church and civic affairs. He was a member of Shandon Presbyterian Church since 1954, serving in many positions including Elder, and Moderator of Trinity Presbytery. He was active in The Rotary serving as its President, and in the United Way, serving on the Higher Education Division and a number of budgeting committees. He was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, honorary service fraternity, and Delta Sigma Pi, professional fraternity. Daet's service to the community included SC Student Loan Corporation, Richland Memorial Hospital, USC School of Medicine Medical Services Foundation; Carolina Research and Development Foundation; and the Carolina Education Foundation Board. In 1983 after retiring from USC, Governor Richard Riley appointed him as Chairman of the newly created State Health and Human Services Finance Commission. For this service he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, the State's highest civilian award. He is fondly remembered by his grandchildren as an avid sailor. He would often take them out on Lake Murray sailing whenever they would come to visit. In 1975, he was Commodore of the Columbia Sailing Club and remained an active member.
Surviving are his daughter, Martha L. Daetwyler and granddaughter, Amanda Irion, both of San Francisco; and son, Michael B. Daetwyler (Lt.Col. USAFR retired) of Colorado Springs, married to the former Catherine Kiester, and their children, Christopher Daetwyler (Rachel Crawford Daetwyler) of Columbia; Anna Morgan (Micah Morgan) of Colorado Springs; Creighton Daetwyler, currently serving in the United States Air Force; and three great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held from 4 until 6:00 p.m. Thursday, January 8, 2015, at Dunbar Funeral Home, 3926 Devine St. in Columbia and will be followed by a memorial service at Shandon Presbyterian Church on Friday, January 9, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. Memorials may be made to Thornwell Orphanage in Clinton, or Shandon Presbyterian Church in Columbia.
Bernard A. Daetwyler passed away peacefully at age 91 at the Presbyterian Home in Lexington, SC, where he had resided since 2001. He was known affectionately to his friends as 'Daet'. He was born in Norton, WV, the son of the late Eugene Carl Daetwyler and Anna Vogel Daetwyler. He met Martha Kilgore Leonard, native of Spartanburg County, in 1943 at Winthrop College where she was a student and he was an Army Air Corps cadet. They married 21 December 1946, following World War II.
Daet attended Davis and Elkins College and graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1950, then performed graduate work at the University of Kentucky and USC. He retired in 1983 as Senior Vice President for Business Affairs of the University of South Carolina, where he started in 1954 as Chief Accountant. He remained a faithful lifelong Carolina Gamecock fan!
He served his country during World War II in the Pacific Theater as a P-47 fighter pilot flying combat missions over Japan and Korea. His love of flying began while listening to his father describe the biplane fighter dogfights he witnessed serving in the Army Signal Corp during World War I in France. In grammar school his teachers would identify his papers not by his name but by the airplanes he drew on them. After the war, while a student at USC, he joined the 169th "Swamp Fox" Fighter Squadron, South Carolina Air National Guard, as a pilot. He loved to fly and remained on flying status with the Air Guard until his retirement in 1972 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Twice during national crises he returned to active duty when the 169th FS was activated; in 1950 for the Korean War, and again in 1961 for the Cuban Missile Crisis when the unit deployed to Spain. He remained life-long friends with his comrades-in-arms with whom he served his nation and his adopted state of South Carolina. Daet was active in military organizations including The Reserve Officers Association, the Military Order of the World Wars and he served as a former President of the Columbia Chapter of the Air Force Association. For more than half a century his community was enriched by his service in church and civic affairs. He was a member of Shandon Presbyterian Church since 1954, serving in many positions including Elder, and Moderator of Trinity Presbytery. He was active in The Rotary serving as its President, and in the United Way, serving on the Higher Education Division and a number of budgeting committees. He was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, honorary service fraternity, and Delta Sigma Pi, professional fraternity. Daet's service to the community included SC Student Loan Corporation, Richland Memorial Hospital, USC School of Medicine Medical Services Foundation; Carolina Research and Development Foundation; and the Carolina Education Foundation Board. In 1983 after retiring from USC, Governor Richard Riley appointed him as Chairman of the newly created State Health and Human Services Finance Commission. For this service he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, the State's highest civilian award. He is fondly remembered by his grandchildren as an avid sailor. He would often take them out on Lake Murray sailing whenever they would come to visit. In 1975, he was Commodore of the Columbia Sailing Club and remained an active member.
Surviving are his daughter, Martha L. Daetwyler and granddaughter, Amanda Irion, both of San Francisco; and son, Michael B. Daetwyler (Lt.Col. USAFR retired) of Colorado Springs, married to the former Catherine Kiester, and their children, Christopher Daetwyler (Rachel Crawford Daetwyler) of Columbia; Anna Morgan (Micah Morgan) of Colorado Springs; Creighton Daetwyler, currently serving in the United States Air Force; and three great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held from 4 until 6:00 p.m. Thursday, January 8, 2015, at Dunbar Funeral Home, 3926 Devine St. in Columbia and will be followed by a memorial service at Shandon Presbyterian Church on Friday, January 9, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. Memorials may be made to Thornwell Orphanage in Clinton, or Shandon Presbyterian Church in Columbia.
Daet attended Davis and Elkins College and graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1950, then performed graduate work at the University of Kentucky and USC. He retired in 1983 as Senior Vice President for Business Affairs of the University of South Carolina, where he started in 1954 as Chief Accountant. He remained a faithful lifelong Carolina Gamecock fan!
He served his country during World War II in the Pacific Theater as a P-47 fighter pilot flying combat missions over Japan and Korea. His love of flying began while listening to his father describe the biplane fighter dogfights he witnessed serving in the Army Signal Corp during World War I in France. In grammar school his teachers would identify his papers not by his name but by the airplanes he drew on them. After the war, while a student at USC, he joined the 169th "Swamp Fox" Fighter Squadron, South Carolina Air National Guard, as a pilot. He loved to fly and remained on flying status with the Air Guard until his retirement in 1972 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Twice during national crises he returned to active duty when the 169th FS was activated; in 1950 for the Korean War, and again in 1961 for the Cuban Missile Crisis when the unit deployed to Spain. He remained life-long friends with his comrades-in-arms with whom he served his nation and his adopted state of South Carolina. Daet was active in military organizations including The Reserve Officers Association, the Military Order of the World Wars and he served as a former President of the Columbia Chapter of the Air Force Association. For more than half a century his community was enriched by his service in church and civic affairs. He was a member of Shandon Presbyterian Church since 1954, serving in many positions including Elder, and Moderator of Trinity Presbytery. He was active in The Rotary serving as its President, and in the United Way, serving on the Higher Education Division and a number of budgeting committees. He was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, honorary service fraternity, and Delta Sigma Pi, professional fraternity. Daet's service to the community included SC Student Loan Corporation, Richland Memorial Hospital, USC School of Medicine Medical Services Foundation; Carolina Research and Development Foundation; and the Carolina Education Foundation Board. In 1983 after retiring from USC, Governor Richard Riley appointed him as Chairman of the newly created State Health and Human Services Finance Commission. For this service he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, the State's highest civilian award. He is fondly remembered by his grandchildren as an avid sailor. He would often take them out on Lake Murray sailing whenever they would come to visit. In 1975, he was Commodore of the Columbia Sailing Club and remained an active member.
Surviving are his daughter, Martha L. Daetwyler and granddaughter, Amanda Irion, both of San Francisco; and son, Michael B. Daetwyler (Lt.Col. USAFR retired) of Colorado Springs, married to the former Catherine Kiester, and their children, Christopher Daetwyler (Rachel Crawford Daetwyler) of Columbia; Anna Morgan (Micah Morgan) of Colorado Springs; Creighton Daetwyler, currently serving in the United States Air Force; and three great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held from 4 until 6:00 p.m. Thursday, January 8, 2015, at Dunbar Funeral Home, 3926 Devine St. in Columbia and will be followed by a memorial service at Shandon Presbyterian Church on Friday, January 9, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. Memorials may be made to Thornwell Orphanage in Clinton, or Shandon Presbyterian Church in Columbia.
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