David Wells McEntire

David Wells McEntire
David Wells McEntire, age 95, died on July 31st at Rigden Farm Senior Living Center in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Wells was born in Ogden, Utah, on March 27, 1915, to Wells and Ida Davis McEntire. He grew up on the family farm in Preston, Idaho. Wells attended the Preston schools and was Student Body President of the Junior High and later graduated with honors from Preston High School. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He attended Utah State University in Logan, and LDS Business College in Salt Lake City.
From the time he was a small boy, Wells was fascinated with airplanes. At age seven, he broke his arm badly because he fell while running gazing up at a plane in the sky. In 1939, Wells joined the Army Air Corps and trained as an aviation cadet at LaGuardia Field and Mitchell Field, New York; Westover Field, Massachusetts; and Luke Field, Arizona. It was at Luke Field that he received his wings and the rank of Lieutenant. He said that it was a boyhood dream come true.
When World War II began, he was sent to England as a fighter pilot. Flying the P-47 Thunderbolt and the P-51 Mustang, he completed 61 combat missions over Germany, protecting American bombers. He named his Thunderbolt the "Ida Marion" after his mother.
Wells was awarded the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross. His Distinguished Flying Cross citation said, "The skillful and zealous manner in which Lt. McEntire has sought out the enemy and engaged him in aerial combat, his devotion to duty and courage under all circumstances serve as an inspiration to his fellow flyers. His actions on all these occasions reflect the highest credit upon himself and the armed forces of the United States."
Following his combat missions, Wells trained fighter pilots, almost losing his life in a mid-air collision when one of his students flew into him. Although initially knocked unconscious, Wells managed to eject from his airplane and to open his parachute just three seconds before the plane crashed into the ground.
After the end of World War II, Wells remained in the Air Force. During the Korean War, he was an intelligence officer with the Strategic Air Command in Japan, briefing air crews flying missions over North Korea. He also served in Guam. His stateside assignments were at Travis Air Force Base in California; Lincoln, Nebraska, and Amarillo, Texas. He retired from the Air Force as a Major in 1960 and settled in San Diego, where he completed his degree in Finance at San Diego State University.
Wells met the love of his life in England during the war, Iris Mumby-Croft, a petite English girl he saw for the first time at a dance. It was love at first sight for both of them. During their courtship, Wells would frequently fly his plane up from London to Lincolnshire to fly low and dip his wings over Iris' home. Wells and Iris were married on October 21, 1944, in Old Clee Church at Cleethorpes, England. It was a very happy marriage as Iris accompanied him to all his military postings for sixteen years. She was the ideal military wife. After retirement, the two traveled frequently by ocean voyage to England to visit her family. Sadly, Iris died of cancer while still young on April 10, 1967.
Wells continued to make his home in San Diego for the next forty-two years. He greatly enjoyed serving on the board of his homeowners association, and found satisfaction in doing maintenance work for the association. He swam daily in the ocean into his mid-80s and rode his bicycle until he was over 90. He skillfully navigated the San Diego traffic in his beloved Toyota Matrix until age 93. On his 90th birthday, thirteen members of his family traveled to San Diego to celebrate with him. As his health began to fail, he moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, to be close to one of his sisters and her family.
Wells was a gentleman in the fullest sense of the word. He was unfailingly pleasant and courteous to everyone he met, and therefore was liked and respected by all. He was a gifted raconteur and never failed to fascinate others with his wartime experiences as a fighter pilot. His sense of humor and his optimistic nature made him good company. He was much loved and will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
When Wells retired, a letter of appreciation was sent to him by the commander of the 4128th Strategic Wing of the United States Air Force. In part, it read: "Your retirement marks the end of long and faithful service in the defense of our nation. The selfless devotion to duty exhibited by you during these years, even though at times under the most extreme circumstances, is a monument to the ideal and principles that have preserved the many Democratic Freedoms that the people of this great land enjoy. I extend the most sincere appreciation of a grateful nation for a job well done."
Wells is survived by one brother, Warren McEntire, and his wife, Faun, of Rupert, Idaho; and four sisters, June Fischer of Preston, Idaho; Ferne McEntire of Logan, Utah; Virginia Christensen of Twin Falls, Idaho; and Laurel Madsen and her husband, Gail, of Fort Collins, Colorado; sisters-in-law Carol McEntire and Jan McEntire of Logan Utah; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, his parents, and three brothers, Davis McEntire of Berkeley, California; Earl McEntire and Reed McEntire of Logan, Utah.
On August 27th, at 1:00 at the Preston, Idaho, cemetery, there will be a military honors ceremony at the grave. A memorial service will follow at 1:45 at the Webb Mortuary in Preston.