Memorial service for John R. “Randy” Caraway, age 73, of Tyler, Texas, will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at Marvin Methodist Church in Tyler, Texas, with Dr. Doug Baker officiating. Interment will be at the United States Air Force Academy cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Mr. Caraway passed away at Christus Mother Frances in Tyler, Texas, on Sunday, May 17, 2026.

John R. “Randy” Caraway was born on January 15, 1953, in Fort Worth, Texas, to the late John Wesley and Lois Lee (Puckett) Caraway. He married Melissa (Hudgins) Caraway in Fort Worth, Texas, on December 27, 1975. John graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1975 and earned his Master of Business Administration from Texas Tech University in 1982. He proudly served in the United States Air Force, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. During his military career, he flew T-37, T-38, and A-7 aircraft as both a fighter pilot and an instructor pilot. Following his active-duty service, he continued serving in the Air Force Reserve as a medical administrator. After his military career, John worked in banking before retiring from a career in computer information security.

John is survived by his wife, Melissa Caraway of Tyler, Texas; daughters, Martha Caraway Rogers and husband Shawn of Rock Springs, Wyoming, Katie Caraway Prather and husband Steven of Bullard, Texas; granddaughter, Ava Prather; sister, Valerie Caraway of Houston, Texas, and foster brother, George Warner and wife Victoria of Rockwall, Texas.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Lois Caraway.

Memorial contributions may be made in his honor to the Air Force Association, 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22209; the North Texas Association of Air Force Academy Graduates, 9720 Coit Road, Suite 220-124, Plano, TX 75025; or the Mission Team at Marvin Methodist Church, 300 W. Erwin Street, Tyler, TX 75702.

From Rick Wright, USAFA '74, North Texas AOG:

It's with deep sadness that I pass along the news that Randy Caraway, '75 passed away this past Sunday. Here is the email I received from his wife Melissa . . . "Randy passed away Sunday night May 17. He suffered a V-fib heart attack that dropped him to the floor. He hit the back of his head on the floor so hard it caused a severe brain bleed. He never regained consciousness and was on life support. Our family made the difficult decision to remove life support and he died afterward. We are making plans to bury him at the Academy in a few weeks."

Randy and I go back all the way to our days at USAFA. He was also from the DFW area, and his Parents succeeded my Parents as Presidents of the North Texas Parents Club. Randy also preceded me as a President of our North Texas AOG Chapter, serving as President of the Chapter in 2001.

I feel blessed that I had the opportunity to visit with Randy and Melissa at our recent Founders Day Dinner – they were regular attendees at many of our events, and wonderful supporters of our North Texas Graduate community.

Randy was a FAIP in T-37's, then spent the rest of his Air Force career in hospital administration, and his post-Air Force career in IT / cyber security in the banking industry.

I will totally miss his jovial spirit and his "Brothers-in-Blue" hugs. May he rest in peace, and may Melissa, and their two daughters, and their granddaughter, be comforted in the days ahead.

Here's a Toast - to Randy! Blessings

– Rick Wright, USAFA '74