Val Jay McCollough

Val was born in Wichita, Kansas on August 1, 1957, his parents 5th wedding anniversary. As a child he lived in Wichita, Oklahoma City and spent his teen years in Annandale, VA. Val earned his Eagle Scout in 1976. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1976. Val served an LDS mission in the California Oakland mission from 1977 through 1979. After that, he attended Brigham Young University and graduated in 1986 with a B.S. in Business Administration. As he attended BYU, his passion for adventure occupied much of time'""participating in competitive kayaking, flying ultra lights and spending summers guiding white water rafting trips. This was all between classes, and that put Val was on the 7 year plan at school. Val had a passion for flying from a very young age. He earned his flight hours the hard way gaining each precious hour by flying night cargo, crop dusting, power line patrol and flying sky-divers. He did everything he could to fulfill his dream of flying. Val has filled almost every position that can be held in his work in the airline field. At Majestic Airlines he held the positions of Director of Operations, Chief Pilot, Check Airman, Line Captain, Instructor and Manager of Alaska operations. He then went on to Great Western Aviation as a Pilot and Director of Operations. He was then employed at Sun West Aviation as a Pilot and Director of Training. At MarkAir Express he held the role of Pilot, Director of Operations, Line Captain, Instructor and Manager of Training. He then went on become Director of Training at MarkAir as they moved to Denver. In December of 1995 he was hired at Frontier Airlines where he has held numerous positions and most lately that of Airbus Captain and Vice President of Frontier Airlines Pilot Association. He was also a mechanic'""he had his A&P and IA. Val was known around the world in the aviation community. As the CEO and President of Flight Training International, Inc., he was known as a fantastic instructor. Many students asked for him in particular to teach their class. Students come back years later and tell about the impact Val's instruction had on their career. Val had a particular love of tail draggers, and was very proud to own two DC-3's which he flew in Yakutat, Alaska during the summers hauling salmon from the local rivers back to Yakutat to the processor. He did this almost every summer for almost 20 years. Alaska held a very special place in his heart. Val and Daniele met in the summer of 1998, introduced to each other by a mutual friend who thought they may be just right for each other. Val proposed to his future wife on a trip in one of his DC-3's while flying to Dry Bay, Alaska. They were married in December, 2002. Skylar Ann was born in May, 2005, and was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, delights in Val's life. Skylar has already picked up the love of airplanes, airports and hanging around hangars. Val has been described as selfless, generous and compassionate. He loved to do things for others. He helped gain employment for so many in the aviation industry, always going the extra step to help them, whether it be one on one work, some instruction time in the simulator or a good pep talk. Val is survived by his wife Daniele K. Anderson McCollough; his daughter, Skylar Ann McCollough and his best canine friend Sabre, all of Parker, Colorado; his mother, Renee McCollough, Kaysville, Utah; his father, JB (wife, Carrol) McCollough, Edgewater, Maryland; sisters, Lori M. (husband, Alan) Peters, Portland, Oregon; Loretta K. McCollough, Highlands Ranch, Colorado; and Angela F. (husband, Keith) Richards, Layton, Utah. Val is also survived by several nieces and nephews. He was a generous and loving husband; father, brother, son and uncle. His sense of humor was incredible, even when things were as low as they could go, he always had something good to say, whether it was a joke, a story or just flashing a great infectious smile. He will be missed more than words can ever express. He was loved more than words can express. He was our Val. A friend stated today that our eternity is based on whether we changed the world'""there is no doubt that Val changed the world and made it a better place for all around him. We love you and will miss you! The family will receive friends at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7160 Bayou Gulch Road, in Parker, CO on Friday, October 19th, from 6:00-9:00pm and again on Saturday, October 20th, from 9:30-11:00am. The Funeral Service will begin at the Church at 11:30am. Burial will be in the Kaysville City Cemetery, Kaysville, Utah on Monday, October 22nd, at 11:00am. Memorial remembrances in Val's name may be made to The LimbPreservation Foundation, 1600 Broadway, Suite 2400, Denver, CO 80202.