Dan Thomas Jarvis

Dan Thomas Jarvis was called home to his Lord on Sunday, April 2, 2023 after a short hospitalization. Dan was born in Baytown, Texas on October 1, 1941 to Arthur Dan Jarvis and Dorothy K. Jarvis. Throughout his childhood and teenage years, he was a skilled baseball player, coached by his father and grandfather. He graduated from the University of Corpus Christi with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. After a brief stint working for IBM in New Orleans, Louisiana, he was commissioned to the United States Air Force in 1966. In 1978, he earned a Master of Science in Public Administration from Troy State University in Troy, Alabama. He completed Air Force Squadron Officer School, attended the Air Command and Staff College in 1978, and completed the National Security Management Force in 1984. His first operational assignment was as a Weapons Controller, assigned to the 25th Air Division, Adair Air Force Station, Corvallis, Oregon. He subsequently entered Undergraduate Navigator Training where he received his wings in February of 1969. He graduated from the RF-4 Replacement Training Unit at the 4th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Bergstrom Air Force Base, Austin, Texas

Dan flew 197 combat missions and 405 combat hours over North Vietnam while assigned to the 14th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand.  Following his tour in Southeast Asia, he was assigned to the 30th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 10th Tactile Reconnaissance Wing at RAF Alconbury, United Kingdom from July 1970 to 1974. There, he served as an Instructor Weapons Officer and Standardization and Evaluation Flight Examiner. While serving with the 10th TWR, he competed in the Royal Flush International NATO Reconnaissance competitions as a representative of the 4th Allied Tactical Air Force. He served as Operational Test and Evaluation Project Officer and Test Systems Officer, flying test sorties in the RF-4C and F-4C/D/E aircraft at the Tactical Air Warfare Center at Eglin Air Force Base. He also served as the Center’s Project Manager for the initial operations test and evaluation for the RF-4 ARN-101and Pave Tack digital avionics packages.

Following Air Command and Staff College, he was assigned as Chief, Advanced Avionics Division, 10th TRW, RAF Alconbury, United Kingdom. There, he was responsible for the first introduction of ARN-101 modified aircraft to the European Theater of Operations.

His next assignment was as an Air Operations Staff Officer at Headquarters, United States Air Forces, Europe, in the Tactical Fighter/Reconnaissance Operations directorate. Colonel Jarvis was then assigned as the RF-4 Program Element Monitor and Chief of the Tactical Reconnaissance Branch, Reconnaissance Division Directorate of Operations, Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Operations, Headquarters United States Air Force, Washington, D.C.  

In August 1984, Colonel Jarvis was reassigned to Bergstrom Air Force Base, Austin, Texas as an Operations Officer with the 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. He later served as Squadron Commander of the 67th Tactical Training Squadron at Bergstrom. He also served with the 4442nd Tactical Control Group as the Deputy Commander for the Operational Testing of C3I systems.

Colonel Jarvis was a Master Navigator. He had 2,500 flying hours in the RF-4C and F-4C/D/E aircraft. His military decorations and awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal with 13 oak leaf clusters, and the Air Force Commendation Medal.

His final assignment was at Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida panhandle. While here, he decided that even though he was born a Texan, he’d retire on the Florida coast. In September 1990, after 24 years of service, Dan retired from the Air Force. He spent five years in Dallas, Texas working for E-Systems before returning to Shalimar, Florida, where he enjoyed deep sea fishing and golfing.

Dan was a devout Christian. His love for Christ was manifested through his daily interactions with others, dedication to church, and love of family.

He is survived by his wife, Kathleen Jarvis, three children: Jeff Jarvis and wife Kristi Jarvis of Fort Worth, Texas, Kenny Jarvis and wife Jamie Jarvis of Tampa, Florida, and Lynne Munoz and husband Mario Munoz of New Orleans, Louisiana, and give grandchildren: Sydney and Jeremy Jarvis, Connor and Emma Jarvis, and Lily Munoz.

Refreshments will be available at Crosspoint UMC Niceville following the service and interment. The family would like to extend thanks to all who touched his life in health and in sickness. You will be forever in our thoughts.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Crosspoint Church.

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