R. L. Marcum

Sept 17, 1979

LAS VEGAS - Raymond Laverne Marcum, 35, Phoenix Ariz., a former resident of Moreland, a captain in the U.S. Air Force, died in a crash ofF15 jet fighter plane he was piloting at 12:30 a.m. Friday. Since July he and 14 other selected pilots had been receiving special night gunnery training at the fighter weapon school at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nev. The crash occurred when his aircraft malfunctioned as the squadron was returning from maneuvers.

Born Jan 22, 1944 in Wichita Falls, Texas, he was the son of R. Laverne and Ruth Daniels Marcum. He grew up in the Blackfoot area and was graduated from the Snake River High School in 1962. He then attended Utah, were he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon.

On June 18, 1966, he was married to Nancy Tweedy in Blackfoot. After receiving his commission in the U.S. Air Force in 1970, they moved to Del Rio Texas, for flight training. He was commissioned to fly the F-4 and T-38 jet planes in July of 1961. He stayed a Del Rio for the next three years as a flight instructor before serving a tour in Korea in 1975 as F-4 pilot. In 1976 he and his family moved to Phoenix, Ariz., where he was a member of the 426 F-4 Squadron. He was promoted to instructor on the F-15 (555 Nichol Squadron), and then was promoted again in July 1978 to wing executive officer a Luke Air Force Base. He served there until July when he was chosen to receive a special night training, during which he lost his life.

Marcum was an Eagle Scout and an elder in the LDS Church.

Survivors are his widow of Phoenix; one daughter Michelle, 12, and a son, Travis Warren, 7, both of Phoenix; his parents of Moreland; two brothers, Robert D. Marcum of Blackfoot and Kevin Marcum of Provo, Utah; three sisters, Mrs. Greg (Susan) Kjar of Detroit, Mich., Mrs. Marc (Pamela) Eynon of Layton, Utah, and Kathy Marcum of Blackfoot; a grandmother, Mrs. Deliah Daniels Penfold of Pocatello.

Services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Luke Air Force Base with the LDS Air Force Chaplain, Ralph Nielsen, officiating. Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Moreland Cemetery, under direction of the Packham Mortuary.