Lt. Col. Garry Andrew (Duds) Dudley, slipped comfortably from this life and was welcomed into Heaven on Monday, December 1, 2025. Garry was born on May 15, 1949, in Long Beach, California, to Robert and Joann Dudley.
Garry, along with his brother Bobbie and sister Robin, grew up in Fallon, Nevada where he graduated from Churchill County High School in 1967. After graduating, he attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. After graduating from BYU in 1971, he received a commission into the United States Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant and married Carol Boyce before moving to Reese AFB to begin flight training.
He honorably served as a Wild Weasel F-4E/G fighter pilot and went wherever Uncle Sam called him. During his military service, his daughters, Samantha and Stephanie, and his son Sean, were added to the family as well as MANY brothers who flew with him. This was a life full of adventure.
Garry was a natural-born teacher and after retirement he entered the education sector. He taught in high schools and served in administration but truly enjoyed being an elementary school principal. During his time as principal of Brown Elementary, in Turlock, California, he met Sandi Young, another principal; they were married in July 2007. But his true calling was as a flight instructor sharing his love of aviation.
Family meant everything to Garry, and sharing DNA was never a requirement. From the first time meeting you were now family and invited to seize life by the horns. He was never short on sage advice, fighter pilot wisdom, or impactful lectures.
Garry is survived by his wife Sandi; his children Samantha (Eric) Burgin, Stephanie (Nick) Willingham, and Sean (Jessica) Dudley, and their mother, Carol; his bonus children Kelly (Gilbert) Almeida, Scott (Elyssa) McCoy, and Rob (Brandi) Young; his bounty of grandchildren Christopher, Scott (Brooke), Jeffrey (Sally), Craig (Alicia), Noah (Tasha), Nathan, Tyler, Grant (Claire), Alexis (Mason), Grace (Jacob), Brooke, Chloie, Grady, Abi, Alison, Bobby, Evan, Myka, Kylie, Andrew, and Thomas; great-grandchildren Addison, Weston, Felix, and Conrad; his brother Tad Dickerson, and sisters Cindy Sullivan and Karen Holcher; and many, many others that have been added in his heart. He was predeceased by his parents, Robert and Joann; his sister Robin; and his sons, Robert and Mark.
Garry will be interred at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery on December 30, 2025, at 1:00 PM.
Garry loved his family, and all who knew him knew this about him. Garry loved to fly, and all who knew him knew this about him too. We, his family, had him for a while, and now the heavens have him forever. Until we meet again…
“May the departed aviator find eternal skies beyond all turbulence, where machines never fail and horizons stretch forever” (Air Commodore Pervez Akhtar Khan).
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to Garry’s “home away from home” – the Turlock Municipal Airport. Donations in Garry’s name can be made to the Turlock Regional Aviation Association (TRAA) at PO Box 556, Denair, CA 95316 or contact turlock.airport.mgmt@gmail.com.
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1 Condolence for Lt. Col. Garry Andrew (Duds) Dudley
Condolence(1)
Joe Firestine says
December 5, 2025 at 5:30 amFor the past ten years, Duds (Garry) and I had the privilege of teaching Private Pilot Ground School together. What started as a shared passion grew into our homegrown successful training program that introduced dozens of students to the wonders of flight. Duds brought an extraordinary depth of knowledge, decades of real-world experience, and a rare gift for making even the most complex concepts clear and approachable. His enthusiasm for aviation was absolutely contagious—I learned as much from him as any of our students did.
If I had to pick the highlight of our time together, it would be our flight reviews. Every session with Duds felt less like a required checkride and more like an adventure. He had a way of packing each flight with valuable insights while keeping the cockpit filled with laughter and excitement. More than once I caught him stretching the pattern or finding “just one more” maneuver to demonstrate—truth is, neither of us ever wanted those flights to end. He reminded me, every single time, why we all started flying in the first place.
Garry was far more than a colleague. He was my trusted flight instructor, my favorite flying buddy, my teaching partner, and, above all, my dear friend.
Prayers of comfort to Family and Friends during this time of loss.
I am going to miss him more than words can say. Blue skies and tailwinds forever, Duds