Memorial for pilot killed while fighting Dog Rock fire to be held Tuesday

A memorial service will be held in San Jose Tuesday for airtanker pilot Craig Hunt, who was killed when his plane crashed while fighting the Dog Rock Fire near Yosemite National Forest.

Hunt was a pilot with DynCorp, which was contracted by CalFire. He was killed in a fatal crash on Oct. 7 near Yosemite’s Arch Rock.

On Tuesday, a memorial service with full Line of Duty Death fire service honors will take place at 10 a.m. at Church on the Hill, 500 Sands Drive in San Jose

“We continue to mourn the tragic loss of Craig.” said Chief Ken Pimlott, CalFire Director. “We know wildland firefighting is an inherently dangerous job, but Craig made the ultimate sacrifice.”

Hunt, 62, is survived by his wife and two daughters. He’d served as a pilot with the U.S. Navy from 1975-1984 and was in the reserves for 20 years.

He held master’s degrees in business and biochemistry, and sometimes taught chemistry at UC Santa Cruz.

My dad died a hero,” said his daughter, Sarah Hunt Lauterbach. “There was not a day that went by that I didn’t talk to my dad. He was my best friend.”

Attire for uniformed personnel is to be either Department Class A Uniform or Work Uniform with tie.

The service is open to the public but will also be live-streamed here.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: G. Craig Hunt Memorial Fund, Asheville School, 360 Asheville School Road, Asheville, NC, 28806. The fund will be designated for scholarship and athletics at the school.