Quentin Dale Plumleigh

Old Lyme — Quentin Dale Plumleigh, pilot, United States veteran retiree and beloved family man, left this earth for a better place in early May.

He was known as “Dale” to his family and friends, and all knew him as congenial, smiling and open to everyone, especially those who were drawn to his personal experiences as a pilot for over seven decades.

He began his aviation career in the Midwest after World War II, when airplanes became necessities for farmers surveying their crops and cattle. Over the course of his career as pilot and instructor, he logged hours in every make of Cessna airplane, including the Cessna Citation models I, V, VII and the Citation X, which flew at just under Mach I. He accrued many thousands of hours in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Strategic Air Command (SAC), specifically captaining the B-52.

He is mourned by his loving wife Maureen of Old Lyme, her sister and brother and her daughter and her family; his children, Deborah, Gerald, Robert, Teresa and Charles; their children and grandchildren, who all reside in Texas; aviation students and fellow pilots, friends, neighbors and caregivers.

He now embodies the poem “High Flight” by John Gillespie Magee:

I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings . . . . . .And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

Plans for a memorial service are postponed because of the current health crisis. Please visit www.fultontherouxoldlyme.com for tributes and more information.