Francis David Lepper, age 90, died peacefully on Sunday, March 1, 2020 in Newport News, Virginia. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 3, 1929. A 1956 graduate of Lehigh University, he served as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps in the Korean War and later in the Reserves. He was a skilled pilot of F4U Corsairs and F9 Panther jets, once holding the record for the most consecutive landings on an aircraft carrier. He regaled family and friends with stories of his daring and sometimes mischievous adventures in the cockpit. He was an excellent golfer, boasting a single-digit handicap.

Following a long career in sales in the paper industry, he retired to a good life on the road, traveling the country in his RV, always following good weather and befriending new people and dogs wherever he camped. Over the course of his life, he conservatively estimated that he had flown, driven, and walked over a million miles. He recommended that everyone experience the Balloon Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the desert colors of Sedona, Arizona, and the perfect summers of Banff, Alberta.

He was married twice, raising a family with Diana Creighton and later sharing a love of golf with Millie Lepper. He was a devoted father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and is survived by his sister, Nancy Austin, three children, Jennifer Downey, Melissa Goodson (Pax), and David C. Lepper (Michelle) and dozens of extended family members and friends.

A celebration of David’s life will be held later this year, with details to come.

Cremation Society of Virginia-Newport News assisted the family with arrangements