WILLIAM J. DEY, LT, USN
William Dey '92
Lucky Bag
From the 1992 Lucky Bag:
William J. Dey
Avon, New Jersey
Bill came to us via exit 8. He lived w/ a crazed Texan and a babblin' Cajun. Bly vanished Plb Yr. w/ a soccer ball in hand. Sighted at a Buckley PT, he returned to 8-1 via 3/c stairs; he would no longer be inviso-Plb. 3/C yr, Bly helped found the Tri-Slamdas. "Prude" describes BROs ties before 1/C yr. He futilely pursued the ghost and then a gorgeous Towson girl. Her check list was too much for CAPT Bly's low morals. She did bring out the puppy-dog in him -- from awkward goodbyes to rushing back from O.C., Bill was never so intimidated. Across T-Court he found the right girl. She mastered the puppy and brought out the Big Dog. The Jeep will age on trips to N.O.--or Tucson BWB was a lover and a fighter (sparring w/his 3 best friends and the Guadala's DJ). We understand Mr. Dey; it runs in the family. For the good times we had and the ones yet to share, we wish you the best of luck--D,Mill,G)
William J. Dey
Avon, New Jersey
Bill came to us via exit 8. He lived w/ a crazed Texan and a babblin' Cajun. Bly vanished Plb Yr. w/ a soccer ball in hand. Sighted at a Buckley PT, he returned to 8-1 via 3/c stairs; he would no longer be inviso-Plb. 3/C yr, Bly helped found the Tri-Slamdas. "Prude" describes BROs ties before 1/C yr. He futilely pursued the ghost and then a gorgeous Towson girl. Her check list was too much for CAPT Bly's low morals. She did bring out the puppy-dog in him -- from awkward goodbyes to rushing back from O.C., Bill was never so intimidated. Across T-Court he found the right girl. She mastered the puppy and brought out the Big Dog. The Jeep will age on trips to N.O.--or Tucson BWB was a lover and a fighter (sparring w/his 3 best friends and the Guadala's DJ). We understand Mr. Dey; it runs in the family. For the good times we had and the ones yet to share, we wish you the best of luck--D,Mill,G)
Loss
William was lost on June 18, 2000 when the F-14 Tomcat he was piloting crashed during an airshow at Naval Air Station Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. The other officer aboard was also killed; they were members of Fighter Squadron (VF) 101.
Other Information
From the November 2000 issue of Shipmate:
On 18 June 2000, the Class of 1992 suffered a great loss when an F-14 went down during an air show in Willow Grove, P A. Lieutenant William "Dewar" Dey, a member of the Navy's F-14 flight demonsfration team, was the pilot.
Bill was in the 6th Company, and many of us who were in his Company, recently gathered to say our good-byes. A moving memorial service was held at Oceana Naval Air Station chapel, capped by a missing man flyover by Bill's squadronmates in VF-101. Two days later. Bill was laid to rest with full military honors, following a funeral mass in his hometown of Hightstown, NJ.
The memorial service in Oceana was an overwhelming testament by the F-14 community to Dewar's prowess as a fighter pilot. Simply stated, Dewar was ranked the best among his peers for his awe-inspiring aeronautical ability and his natural leadership within the squadron. Bill died doing what he loved, flying his Tomcat to its fullest at an air show, fronically, his application package was set to go before the Navy's Blue Angel selection board in early July. He would have been a perfect choice for that elite group of aviators.
But, it was Bill at USNA that most of us remember best. He was the star defenseman of Navy's highly successful varsity soccer team. His tenacity and skill earned him the "honor" of marking the opposing team's top offensive threat. This tough-as-nails character from "Joy-sey" was seen by most opponents as an impassable defensive wall.
For as talented a pilot and soccer player as Bill was, he was an even better friend. Those of us who were fortunate enough to traly know Bill, discovered that beneath his "hard-nosed" exterior, was a friend whose loyalty was unwavering. Bill had a profound sense of right and wrong and refused to let anyone live at less than their full potential. He led us on some of our most thrilling adventures as Midshipmen, and some of the best memories of our lives will be of times spent in his company.
Bill is survived by his wife of five years. Deb; his one-year-old daughter, Kamryn; his parents. Bill and Cathy Dey; his three sisters, Carolyn, Karen, and Kathleen; and eleven nieces and nephews.
The Navy has lost a gifted pilot and an inspirational leader. We have lost a Classmate, a friend, and a brother. We pledge to watch over his wife, daughter and family. We'll always cherish our brother, and until we meet that trademark laughing, crooked smile once again, may we all strive to live and love to our full potential, as Bill would have insisted.
From Philly.com on June 20, 2000:
Lt. William Joseph Dey was the only Navy flier piloting an F-14 Tomcat at the Willow Grove Naval Air Station on Sunday.
So when Deborah Dey, who had left the show a few hours earlier with their daughter, heard on her car radio that an F-14 had crashed, she knew her husband was dead.
Only the day before, the two had celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary.
They had been looking forward to celebrating Father's Day with their 14-month-old daughter, Kamryn, later that night at their Virginia Beach home.
"He flew Saturday, had a stint to do there Sunday, and then he was to fly back to Oceana [Va.]," said Dey's grandmother Mary Dey, of Hightstown, N.J.
"He never got there. They got the news on the radio. They went crazy."
Dey, 30, formerly of Hightstown, and his radar intercept officer, Lt. David E. Bergstrom, 31, of Annandale, Va., died when their jet crashed during the second-to-last performance in front of a crowd of thousands.
They were performing routine tactical maneuvers when the Tomcat went down, said Mike Maus, a spokesman for the Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet in Norfolk, Va.
"They do takeoffs, climb straight up, make tight turns to simulate landing on aircraft carriers," Maus said, adding investigators do not know what particular maneuver they were trying when the jet went down.
He said the investigation was continuing.
Eyewitnesses said the jet came in low with its canopy down when it rocked left, then wobbled right before crashing in a patch of woods about 200 yards from houses on nearby Hallowell Avenue.
Mary Dey (pronounced dye) said she could only speculate that her grandson knew he was in trouble and crashed into the woods to avoid the houses and crowds.
Most of Dey's family attended the show's rehearsal on Friday to watch him perform, Mary Dey said. But he didn't fly because "something held him up" and it got too late, she said.
"Just to be with the whole family was great. We are a close family," the grandmother said. "His little one was prancing around. It's such a terrible shock."
The next day, Lt. Dey was interviewed by Steve Highsmith of WB-17as part of the air show.
During that interview, the two sides of Dey emerged: The serious, confident pilot and the funny guy who could laugh and joke.
William Joseph Dey, the son of retired New Jersey State Trooper William James Dey, grew up in Hightstown, Mercer County.
"He was wonderful, always there when you needed him," said his sister, Karin Parry, of Souderton. "He excelled at whatever he did."
That included athletics. Dey was a star soccer and ice hockey player at the Peddie School, a small private coed high school in Hightstown.
"Billie was an outstanding soccer player," said Stewart Grief, 28, who graduated two years behind Dey and played ice hockey with him.
But it was Dey's compassion, not his athletic ability, that Greif admired most.
Grief, who said he had lost contact with Dey, recalled how Dey comforted and talked with him when he was going through "tough times" after a game.
"He made the situation easier to deal with in my personal and athletic life," Greif said. "He really made a big difference that year and in my senior year.
"It's a big loss for his family, for the school and the lives he touched."
Dey graduated from Peddie in 1988 and was accepted to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., where he continued playing soccer. He graduated in 1992 and joined the Navy.
"When he went to Annapolis he had to pick something, and he liked flying," his grandmother said. "You know you have to be smart to fly for the Navy. You just can't say, 'I want to be a pilot.' You have to pass everything . . . It was just one more thing he excelled at."
It was during school at Annapolis that Dey met Deborah Sedenka. They married three years later and lived in Virginia Beach.
Dey and Bergstrom were assigned to Fighter Squadron 101 at the Oceana Naval Air Station in Oceana.
Dey, a pilot with more than 1,400 flight hours and more than 1,100 in the F-14, served as a flight instructor.
Bergstrom, who was single, had more than 1,200 flight hours with more than 1,000 aboard a Tomcat. He was an instructor radar intercept officer.
From researcher Kathy Franz:
William graduated in 1988 from The Peddie School. He played soccer (sweeper) and ice hockey. Voted: Biggest Abuser. Voted: Best Friends – Sean Daily and Bill Dey
William is buried in New Jersey.
Photographs
From his high school yearbook
Related Articles
David Bergstrom '92 was William's classmate and was also lost in this crash.
William is one of 2 members of the Class of 1992 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
