Retired Lt. Col. Charles "Chuck" Cooley DeMoisy, of Boynton Beach, Florida passed away peacefully at home on Friday, December 26, 2025. He was born on August 26, 1952 in Eureka, California to Ralph Gordon DeMoisy and Estelle Cooley DeMoisy. He spent his childhood in Winchester, Oregon on the North Umpqua River, attended Roseburg High School and graduated from the United States Air Force Academy (1975).

He met his first wife, Judy Ann McCormick, during pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. They were married in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1978, then stationed at Yokota Air Base in Japan and Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany before returning to the U.S. where they raised their daughters.

During his twenty-two year career, Chuck flew C-130s, was involved in airlift and operations and defense acquisition management. Though he traveled the world, he made a point to keep family close. He organized many summer DeMoisy Family reunions in central Oregon filled with fishing, water skiing, hiking, and outdoor adventure.

After retiring from the Air Force in 1997, he flew commercially for TWA/American where he met his longtime companion, Neerja "Rani" Pahwa. He went on to be a flight instructor and eventually returned to the Air Force as a civilian. Following his second retirement, he moved with Rani to Florida in 2013 where he was very active in and loved by his community of friends at Valencia Reserve. He enjoyed golfing and became an avid pickleball player and team captain, competing until his last months of life while undergoing chemotherapy for esophageal cancer. He was a strong and humble man with a positive outlook on life and will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

He is survived by his wife, Neerja "Rani" Pahwa (married 2025); Judy DeMoisy of Collinsville, Illinois; daughters Brook (Ryan) Croke of Springfield, Illinois, and Elizabeth "Beth" (Matthew) Kurteson of New Hope, Pennsylvania; step-daughter Sascha (George) Pahwa of Chesterfield, Missouri; and step-son Kunal (Hannah) Pahwa of Seattle as well as his sister, Louise "Penny" Schiller of Ann Arbor, Michigan; brothers: Ralph DeMoisy of Glide, Oregon and Clyde DeMoisy of Bend, Oregon; cousin Judy (Bill) Wood of Studio City, California, and many loving grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, December 30th at 3 p.m. at Beth Israel Chapel in Boynton Beach. Private interment with full military honors will be held at Jefferson Barracks Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri at a future date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Air Force Academy Foundation, 3116 Academy Drive, USAF Academy, CO (legacy.usafa.org).

legacy.com  |  December 2025

Chuck and I stayed connected after UPT 76-09 at Columbus. I can’t recall his exact USAFA lineage, but pretty sure he was orphaned as part of the senior shuffle. Guessing you guys can sort that out? Thanks... Another great guy that we’re proud to call classmate. A man of faith, integrity, and character. Loyal friend. Wonderful father. Really good guy with a legacy to match. RIP, Chuck.

– Gary Vosburgh

I had been texting with Chuck in anticipation of our 50th reunion. And then he gave me the news that his cancer had returned and couldn’t attend. In early December, he told me he was entering hospice and the chemo was worse than the cancer. I last texted him on Christmas Eve, but did not receive a response.

He spent his doolie year in CS-17 and maintained friendships with many of those classmates throughout his Academy time. Chuck and I were roommates in CS-31 for third-class and second-class academic years. He was an excellent roomie—kind, considerate and always helpful. Unfortunately, he was caught up in the senior shuffle and was moved to CS-32 for our first-class year. We maintained our friendship throughout our senior year, since he was just one floor below CS-31. He had a variety of interests and was an excellent skier; one of the few guys that came to the Academy knowing how to ski! He enjoyed camping also, spending warmer weekends in the mountains.

I kept in touch with him mainly thru Christmas cards, but visited him and his family in Little Rock and Scott. He loved the C-130 and the airlift business. I saw him in St Louis a couple of times after retiring, meeting for dinner or a drink before catching a flight out of STL. And met Rani in the early 2000s. They were very happy together. I agree totally with your (Gary Vosburgh’s) view of him, high integrity and character, and most definitely a proud father and loyal friend. He will be missed!

– Jim Burling