This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.
Surnames: Castro, McCabe, Hauser, Savary, Bocan, Lazalde
Classification: Query
Message Board URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/hFI.2ACIB/376
Message Board Post:
(not related - for board info only)
Castro, Raoul
Raoul Castro, 91, a long-time aviator and inventor, author, and public speaker in aviation
and other fields, died on June 4, 2006, at Pomona Valley Hospital. Mr. Castro was a
resident of Upland, where he settled in 1985 with his companion DeLoris ("Dee")
McCabe. The cause of death was a combination of congestive heart disease, aortic valve
stenosis, and pancreatic cancer, with which he had remarkably survived for several years.
Raoul Castro was born in Bucaramanga, Colombia on June 22, 1914, to Ramon Castro de
Wilches and the former Rosa Hauser. His parents had met in New York City, to where Ramon
had immigrated from Colombia and Rosa from Germany. They returned to Colombia, where Raoul
Castro was raised speaking both German and Spanish. In the late 1920s, Mr. Castro was sent
to New York to complete his secondary education in English. Although expected to return to
Colombia, Mr. Castro instead became fascinated with av iation, and abandoned a scholarship
to Boston College to!
pursue a career as a pilot. He attended Curtis-Wright Institute, where he received a
degree in aeronautics. During the 1930s, he worked as an aircraft mechanic, a pilot and a
flight instructor. In 1939, he joined in the U.S. Army Air Force as a liaison to the
Colombian Air Force. During World War II, he flew with the 4th Ferry Group of the Air
Transport Command (ATC), becoming chief pilot of its airbase in Naples, Italy. He retired
from the Air Force with the rank of Major. After the war, Mr. Castro entered corporate
aviation, and was chief pilot for Globe Steel, Square D and International Harvester. In
1963, Mr. Castro founded the flight operations of Montgomery Ward, and managed it through
the 1970s. Later, Mr. Castro was an aviation management consultant, advising corporate
flight departments and commuter airlines through his company, AIMS, Inc. Mr. Castro sat on
the board of Southern Illinois University's School of Aviation, and was a member and
off icer of several avi!
ation clubs and professional associations, including the Aircraft Owne
rs and Pilots Association; OX-5 Aviation Pioneers; the Southern California Aviation
Breakfast Club; the Flight Safety Foundation; and the National Business Aircraft
Association, at whose annual conventions he often spoke. As an author, Raoul Castro wrote
many articles for Professional Pilot Magazine, and published a book, Corporate Aviation
Management. In 1956, he married the former Hazel Marilyn Savary, and in 1958, they had a
son, Carl Raoul Castro. Raoul and Hazel Castro were divorced in 1980. In 1981, Raoul met
his companion DeLoris ("Dee") McCabe in Wheaton, Illinois, and they moved
together to their home in Upland, California in 1985, where their close and loving
partnership flourished. With Dee, Raoul became an avid golfer and a member of the Upland
Hills Country Club. They shared a love of travel, and visited Alaska, Mexico, Canada,
England, Scandinavia, and the Soviet Union. Raoul was adopted by Dee's family,
including Dee's daughters Barbara and Joyce and their hus!
bands Chuck Bocan and Steve Lazalde. Raoul became a surrogate grandfather to
Barbara's and Joyce's children. Together, Raoul and Dee were active in aviation
clubs and volunteer organizations. Raoul belonged to the Upland VFW Post, volunteering on
Poppy Day and riding in parades. In his final years, Dee was a devoted caretaker for
Raoul. Besides his companion and his son, Raoul Castro is survived by his companion's
family, including her daughters Ba rbara Bocan and Joyce Lazalde, and their husbands and
children. Raoul Castro's rich, full and varied life reflected his curiosity,
appreciation, energy and savoir-faire. His engaging presence will be cherished by those
who knew him. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, June 10, in the
chapel at Draper Mortuary, 811 North Mountain Avenue, Ontario, CA. In lieu of flowers and
other gifts, friends are asked to donate to the following: Upland VFW Post (#10489), 1328
Ukiah Way, Upland, C A 91786, 909-985-0476; Meals!
-on-Wheels, 869 N. Euclid Avenue, Upland, CA 91786 909-981-0377. Drape
r Mortuary in charge of arrangements.
Published in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin on 6/8/2006.