Cyril Dingwell Obituary

Cyril Howard Dingwell, Colonel (retired) ("Cy" by his friends and "Howie" by his family) passed away on Sunday, December 19th, 2010. He was born in Malden, Massachusetts on April 22, 1929 to Gertrude May and Frank Earl Dingwell. He retired from the Air Force after a distinguished career spanning three decades and two wars. Cy was highly decorated and in one instance his team was written up in LIFE magazine for being the first B52 team to circumnavigate the earth. He went to the Army Airborne School as a Colonel in 1970, unprecedented at the time. Cy's illustrious career included positions at the United States Air Force Academy and Joint Chiefs of Staff. Cy's retirement was full of exploration, continued learning and pride in raising his daughter. He initially retired to South Lake Tahoe and renovated a small cabin high on a mountain overlooking the lake. Later, he and his daughter relocated to Colorado Springs where he met and married his soulmate, Kay. In 1995, Cy and Kay spent 62 days walking the Colorado Trail which Cy described as one of the most special adventures of his life. Cy is preceded in his death by his brother Verne Dingwell, a retired United States Air Force Master Sergeant. He is survived by his wife Kay Dingwell and his daughter Diana ("Didi") Mancini, MD. Didi is married to Sam Mancini and they have a wonderful daughter, Isabella. Kay has two daughters Kimberly Lenhard and Tammy Kuiper. Kimberly lives in Colorado Springs with three exceptional boys, Logan, Hayden, and Austin. Tammy lives in St. Louis with her husband Reverend Mark Kuiper and their three delightful children Jordan, Luke, and Anna. Cy's life is full of cairns marking his service to our country, his friends and family. His largest cairn is that of his love for his grandchildren and who loved him greatly. A memorial service will be held at 3:00pm Wednesday, December 22, at the Academy Chapel at the US Air Force Academy. A reception will follow at Gold Hill Mesa Community Center in Colorado Springs. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in honor of Cy to the Colorado Trail Foundation, 710 10th St. #210, Golden, CO 80901-1022. Cy epitomized what has made this country great. Integrity, humility, generosity and civility. We will miss him greatly.