Cheney attended Ohio State University before deciding that he'd rather be training to be a pilot. He was a flight instructor in Columbus before accepting a job in Fort Lauderdale with a small regional airline as its chief pilot. He finished his bachelor of science degree at Barry University in Miami. At the time of his death, Cheney was a commercial Lear jet pilot looking forward to being hired by the airlines. He enjoyed aerobatic flying, drove a Porsche, owned a Pitts, and was training for an aerobatic competition at the time of his untimely death. Cheney was married to Cathy Wittmann Kohen for eleven years. Cheney accomplished more in his short time on earth than most who lived twice as many years. He had come a long way from his beginnings in West Virginia.