Emery Magda passed away on February 4, 2024, at the age of 92 at Monument Hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota.  He was surrounded by his wife of 70 years, Carolyn and their four children, Mike Magda, Julie Magda, Kathy Wolff, and Patty Klingemann.

Emery Magda was born November 6, 1931, at his family's home on Yeakel Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio.  His parents, Elizabeth and John, immigrated to the United States from Valka Iada, Hungary with his three older siblings; Mary, Rose, and Johnny.  After settling in Cleveland, Eugene, Emery, and Julius were born.  Emery's mother died when he was 3 1/2 years old.  He attended kindergarten at Harvey Rice School; 1st-2nd grades at St. Margaret Elementary; and 3rd-4th grades at St. Elizabeth Elementary.

Emery would tell his kids stories of riding bikes with his friends over to League Park, home of the Cleveland Indians baseball team and watching the games through knotholes in the fence until they were run off.  They continued watching games when the team moved to the new stadium, and he fondly recalled ballplayers from the team giving the local kids lessons.  Emery also played basketball at the Rec Center and remembered seeing Babe Dedrickson coming to the gym and playing an exhibition game.  He delivered newspapers, often having to fight neighborhood gangs who threatened to take his collections from customers.  He told stories about his older brother Eugene, coming to his rescue more than once.

Even though he had a strong desire to graduate from high school, he had to drop out in the 10th grade and go to work to help support his family, which had grown by four half-siblings.  Emery worked in an industrial factory, popping out widgets for gas stoves.  At one point, he lied about his age and was moved to a more dangerous job, thus earning him more money.  As soon as he turned 18, Emery joined the United States Air Force.

Emery was shipped to Lackland AFB in Texas for basic training.  He then went to school in Denver, Colorado to become skilled in photographic equipment and camera repair.  After a brief trip back to Cleveland, Emery boarded a train that would take him to his first station at Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota.  He met another G.I. on the train, and when they arrived in Rapid City, the two of them went to Barbara Ann's Ice Cream Store, where he met his future wife, Carolyn.  Carolyn worked at the ice cream parlor, where Emery began working later that year, making buckets of handmade ice cream.  The two married on May 2, 1953, in Trinity Lutheran Church.

At Ellsworth, Emery worked on the Flight Line, taking care of cameras on the RB 36's.  He then volunteered for flying status and that began his love of flying in military planes.  Emery and Carolyn lived on Canyon Lake Drive with another couple, John and Anna Welsh.  They then moved behind West Main (and the Esquire Club), living with Ken and Arlene Silliman.  They eventually moved to the Horseshoe Motel, behind Carolyn's parents' house in North Rapid.  Emery liked to tell how Mike had a little bed, while Julie slept in a basket. Emery spent one year deployed to Goosebay, Labrador.

Emery was transferred to Cannon AFB in Clovis, New Mexico in 1959.  He flew with the F100's, working with cameras related to gun and bombing maneuvers.  The family was transferred to Denver, Colorado in 1964 for nine months while Emery re-trained as a missile instrumentation technician.  He was then stationed at Holloman AFB in Alamogordo, New Mexico.  They arrived at the base in September of 1964.

Emery worked at the Facet Eye Observatory on the base, which conducted satellite tracking, as well as missile tracking across White Sands Missile Range. He worked at the observatory for two years, often taking his kids out to the site on the weekends to ride mini bikes, hunt scorpions and tarantulas, and watch the stars through the telescopes.

After changing positions in 1966, Emery went to the Guidance Laboratory and took charge of the enlisted flight testing of guidance systems and navigation aids (this was before GPS) on all the aircraft, which included: F4's, C131, C130, C123, and C141's.  His kids remember the C-rations he would bring home, as well as the in-flight lunchboxes (which included a pack of cigarettes).  Emery would talk of how much he loved the purple plums they would send up with the men in flight.

It was a heart-breaking day for Emery when he was grounded from flying due to health reasons in 1975.  He retired from the Air Force in 1976, having spent 12 years at Holloman AFB.  All his children graduated from the high school in Alamogordo.

Emery loved baseball and golf.  His passion for the Cleveland Indians was passed down to his children.  He played on a baseball team at Ellsworth AFB, a fast pitch softball team in Denver, and slow pitch softball teams in Clovis and Holloman.  He fondly remembered playing church league softball in Alamogordo, with the Marquardts and Magdas making up most of the team from Trinity Lutheran Church.  He often golfed later in life with his kids.

After retiring from the Air Force, Emery joined Carolyn in a ceramic supply business, Carolyn's Ceramics in Alamogordo.  After selling the business and moving to Rapid City in 1985, they opened another ceramic business, keeping it until they retired in 2000.  Emery volunteered at the DAV, the AARP tax preparation facility; the Rapid City Regional Hospital Auxiliary (3500 hours), and the American Legion.

Emery is survived by his wife of 70 years, Carolyn and four children; Mike Magda; Julie Magda; Kathy Wolff (David); and Patty Klingemann (Kevin).  He has four grand-children; Greg Bunkowske (Alyssa); Travis Bunkowske (Ashlen); Christian Klingemann; and Liana Magda (Carlos).  He is also survived by three great-grandchildren; Marley Magda and Hudson and Holden Bunkowske, as well as his half-brothers, Frankie and Richard Magda.

Our dad was the toughest man we knew.  He was a humble man of faith, and his family was the most important thing in his life.  He served his country with pride and lived his life with honor.

Friends and family are invited to a visitation from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 8, 2024 at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home.  A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, February 9 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church.  Burial will be at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, February 12 at Black Hills National Cemetery.