More detail on this person: Frank M. Huglin
died Jan. 17, 2015, from complications due to
multiple system atrophy. He was 85. Mr. Huglin
was born May 21, 1929, in Redwood City, Calif., to
Frank M. Huglin Sr. and Laura Barnes Huglin. He
grew up in the small town of Pescadero, Calif.,
which he was very fond of and still has several
friends there. He attended Bellarmine College
Prepatory in San Jose, Calif., graduating in 1945.
He graduated from San Jose State University in
1951. He then joined the U.S. Marine Corps and
became a pilot. He started with fixed wing
aircraft and earned his wings. During the Korean
War, he switched over to helicopters. He served in
Vietnam and was a commanding officer of a
medevac unit. He flew over 100 missions in Vietnam
and was even shot down once. He was very proud
of being a Marine and regularly attended Marine
Corps reunions. Over the years, many men thanked
him for saving their lives. He left the Marines
with the rank of major. After returning from
Vietnam, he went to work for Hiller Aviation as a
helicopter test pilot and salesman. As part of his
duties, he traveled all over the world and had
many adventures, including liberating a helicopter
from the Castro government, which he flew with
another co-worker to Key West late one night. He
may have been the first airship repo man. Growing
up in Pescadero fostered his love for the
outdoors. He traveled all over the world going
fishing and hunting, from Belize to Mongolia. When
he retired, he told his boss, "Now I'll finally
have time for more hunting and fishing!" His boss
replied, "I didn't think that would be possible!"
He also loved to ski and skied until just a couple
of years ago. Early in his career, he married
Lorelei Lewis. He met her when he was stationed in
Florida. They had two sons, Mark and Grant. He
taught his sons how to shoot, hunt and fish. They
both embraced a love of the outdoors as well. He
married Ruth Huglin in 1999. He and Ruth also
traveled together extensively, often on ski
vacations. He is survived by his wife, Ruth; sons,
Mark (Renee) and Grant (Linda); grandchildren,
Kendra, Julia, Luke and Mari; great-grandchild,
Molly; stepdaughter, Ronda Butler; and stepson,
Rocky Brooks (Cathy). A private gathering will be
held by the family.
Published in The Oregonian from Jan. 22 to Jan.
25, 2015
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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