Teammates,
We are sad to announce the passing of David Gasper (Class 77-01) on January 11, 2026 following complications from routine cardiac surgery. Dave is survived by his family as well as friends and teammates around the world.
Visitation will be held Thursday, January 22, 2026, from 3:00 - 8:00 pm at Kuiper Funeral Home, 9039 Kleinman Road, Highland, IN 46322.
A service of remembrance officiated by Fr. Gregory Bim-Merle, preceded by a military honor guard, will be held on January 23 starting at 11:00 am also at Kuiper Funeral Home.
From his obituary:
After his father graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia, the young family settled in Buckhannon, WV. David developed a love of nature
in the woods and streams around Buckhannon, encouraged by his father, a state conservation biologist.
After graduating from Buckhannon High School in 1974, David joined the Air Force and was selected for the elite combat pararescue service
charged with the search, extraction, and medical treatment of downed pilots and crew. David loved the demanding physical aspects of his pararescue service, but was especially drawn to his medical corpsman duties; however, his career plans were cut short by a back injury sustained in a helicopter accident while on duty.
David was discharged from the Air Force as a sergeant in 1979, then attended the University of West Virginia for two years before transferring to the nursing program at West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1981, allowing him to return to his family in Buckhannon. David thrived in the new challenges of his nursing courses and the social life of a college student. During the summers, he earned money for college in various
jobs - white water rafting guide, trail guide for the northeast region for the Boy Scouts, and nature director at the local Boy Scout camp. In March of 1983, he was introduced by a friend of his sister to a fellow nursing student at Wesleyan.
After their “blind date” at the college Commons, they spent increasingly more time together. David and Laura married in May of 1985. David graduated in 1986 with a B.S. degree in Nursing, Laura having finished a year earlier. They took positions at the West Virginia University Fairmont Medical Center in Fairmont, WV.
David is widely remembered within the local scouting community for his selfless service, and was inducted into the Order of the Arrow, the Boy Scouts of America's national honor society that recognizes scouts and scout leaders that best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law. David served on the nursing staff at St. Catherine Hospital from 1987 to his retirement in 2022. During this time, he held many positions,
including most recently the Intermediate Care Unit.
David’s life can be summed up as one focused on service to those around him - a dedicated husband and father, a tireless community leader, and a patient caregiver and mentor. He was a gentle
soul with an innate talent for storytelling, although it was sometimes not clear where his most recent story was headed until he came full circle and tied the threads together. He will be missed by all who knew him, but especially by his granddaughter, Emree, who was his morning light. On waking, Emree always perked up and glowed in anticipation of his arrival around the corner with her bottle when she heard the loose floorboard creak.
Some of us did not know Dave or just met him in passing with a handshake. Dave now joins the squadron of PJ Rescue Angels who have made their final jump. Please keep his family and teammates in your prayers.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in memory of David Gasper to the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross.
If you want reach out to the family you can contact his son:
Justin Gasper
718 Rueth Dr.
Griffith, IN 46319
219-775-2510
jgasper36@gmail.com
Steven S West
Vice President
Pararescue Association
614-207-4227c
It is my duty as a Pararescueman to save life and to aid the injured. I will be prepared at all times to perform my assigned duties quickly and efficiently, placing these duties before personal desires and comforts. These things we do, that others may
live.
Bill Watson
President,
Pararescue Association
m:2062458309
w:pjassociation.com
e:bill.watson@pjassociation.com
Strengthening relationships among all USAF Pararescuemen and Combat Rescue Officers – past, present, and future; fostering camaraderie among those who have earned the title, PJ/CRO; while providing an extended community for all USAF Pararescuemen/CRO's and their families.
