Ralph Joseph Dello Iacono, age 76, was born to Ralph and Mary Dello Iacono on April 15,1946, in Boston, Massachusetts. He passed away June 3, 2022.
Ralph grew up in Winchester, Massachusetts and graduated from Winchester High School in 1964. In his youth, he spent summers working at his family owned Dello's Lodge at Lake Winnipesaukee. Wanting to pursue a career in aviation, he used a coupon for his first flight lesson in 1965. He began college at Boston University before enlisting in the United States Air Force in 1967. While in the Air Force at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, he met his first wife, Lorraine (Swift) Myhr. They relocated to Oklahoma after he was honorably discharged in 1971. He graduated from South Eastern State in Durant, Oklahoma in 1972 with a BS in Aviation Science. He and Lorraine would also have two children, Tara and Sean. After college, he and his family returned to Great Falls where he lived for fifty years.
During his aviation career he worked with a variety of carriers including Metro, Alpine, Lynch, Northern, and Holman. His longest tenure was flying international transport for Evergreen Airlines during which time he was proud to be awarded the Desert Storm Civilian Service Medal. After Evergreen, he flew for Mercy Flight fixed wing. Semi-retired, he continued flying for Torgeson’s Farm Equipment Company and a Cessna Citation CJ4 for a San Antonio based company until 2019. He was highly respected for his flying experience and has held the record for the most flight-time hours of any DC-8 6000 copilot. In 2016 he was awarded The Wright Brothers Master Pilot award for 50 consecutive years of aircraft operations.
He has traveled the world with enviable stories and adventures in New York, Germany, Iceland, Hong Kong, and Egypt to name a few. He retired from flying in 2019. He enjoyed conversation with fellow aviators and in his spare time you could find him hanging out at Front Range Aviation drinking coffee with the guys.
He met his present wife, Jeanne Rohloff, in 1999, and they were wed in 2006. Not surprisingly, their first date was an airplane ride, and their second date was skiing at Showdown on Kings Hill. They spent the last 23 years traveling and enjoying family together with a memorable trip to Italy in 2010. They made many trips to California to visit kids and grandkids.
Ralph was athletic and enjoyed skiing, hiking, horseback riding, target shooting, and running. He never hesitated when kids asked to go skiing and spent many weekends driving his rear-wheel drive Firebird up to the mountains. As a runner, he completed several marathons and even ran the San Francisco Marathon with his daughter.
Ralph had a great appreciation of World War II history. He also loved John Wayne-era classic westerns, other films, and all cowboy memorabilia. He had an uncanny ability to recall dates and ages of people and events. Friends and family would try to trip him up, but he never got one wrong.
A historian, storyteller, people-person, son, uncle, brother, father, Papa, and husband - he was loved. He was surrounded by the love of his family when he earned his wings to fly onward.
He is survived by his loving wife, Jeanne Rohloff; children, Tara (Aaron) Dello Iacono Thies and Sean (Courtney) Dello Iacono; sister, Janice Marino; stepdaughter, Andrea Lynes; and four grandsons, Noah and Eric Thies, and Zeppelin and Aero Dello Iacono.
He was preceded in death by his parents. His family and friends will miss him dearly and cherish the memories made.
Cremation has taken place. A celebration of his life will be held at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel on Saturday, August 6, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.
In memory of Ralph, and to honor his love for Glacier National Park, donation can be made to the Glacier National Park Conservancy https://glacier.org/donate-to-glacier/.
