Richard James McGan; Former Fighter Pilot

Richard James McGan, a retired Marine fighter pilot and logistic engineer, died Saturday. He was 62.

The Camarillo resident, born in Omaha, Neb., flew missions in both the Korean and Vietnam wars.

McGan retired from the military in 1976 and spent several years traveling around the country with his wife, Muriel McGan. He came to the area to take a job with Litton Data Command Systems in Agoura. He later worked for VSE Corp. in Camarillo.

McGan was a member of the Marine Corps Aviation Assn. and the Experimental Aircraft Assn. He was a past president of the local chapter of the Society of Logistic Engineers. He was a hunter and fisherman who also enjoyed building and flying radio-controlled airplanes, said daughter Laura Doubek of Camarillo.

“He was vibrant, he was alive, he was the most fabulous teacher--Dick was all those things,” she said.

She said he died from complications related to Agent Orange, a defoliant used in the Vietnam conflict.

In addition to his daughter, he is survived by his wife, another daughter, Julia Reeder of Yuma, Ariz., and granddaughters Christine and Sara Reeder, also of Yuma.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Pierce Brothers Griffin Mortuary in Camarillo. Donations in McGan’s memory can be made to the National Marrow Donor Program at 3433 Broadway St. N.E., Suite 400, Minneapolis, Minn. 55413.