Daniel Rossman, 90, Flew 59 Bombing Missions During World War II

The following obituary was submitted by Roswell Funeral Home:

Daniel Rossman, 90, of Roswell, GA passed away on June 23, 2014, after a brief illness. Dan was born September 29, 1923 in Philadelphia to Austrian immigrants Hyman and Nettie Langberg Rossman.

From a very early age, Dan's passion was flying. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Dan was extremely anxious to serve his country as an airman. In early 1942, he was accepted into the Army Air Corps flight training program. Dan's wartime hero was General Jimmy Doolittle, and like Doolittle, Dan eventually became a B-25 pilot.

In all, Dan flew 59 bombing missions throughout the southwest Pacific and Philippine Islands. He survived six crash landings. Dan received numerous commendations for bravery, and at 22 years of age returned home a decorated war hero. He remained an active USAF Reservist based at Willow Grove (PA) NAS, flew C-130s during the balance of his military career, and retired as a Lt. Colonel. 

Dan married Sylvia Liscovitz in 1948, and they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary last September with family and friends. Dan's civilian jobs included engineering and program management positions at Piaseki Helicopter Corp. and General Electric (Re-Entry Division), both in Philadelphia. During his 29 years at GE, Dan's expertise was instrumental in several high profile space programs, including the Corona, Viking and Mariner programs. Dan retired from GE in 1983. He and Sylvia relocated to Roswell in 1988 to be closer to family.

Dan's passion for flying led him to become a lifelong radio-controlled hobbyist. For over 40 years, Dan built and flew almost every type of plane. He absolutely loved flying, tinkering in his workshop, and mentoring those new to the hobby. His favorite planes were those named for his grandchildren!

Dan was pre-deceased by his parents and a brother, Ivan. He is survived by his loving family - wife, Sylvia; daughters Lynn (Mark) Gunzenhauser of Dacula, GA and Hope (Paul) Bloom of Castle Rock, CO; beloved grandchildren Steven (Laurel) Gunzenhauser of Charlotte, NC and Nancy Gunzenhauser, Esq. of New York, NY; special cousin Jonathan (Jill) Langberg, MD of Atlanta, GA; 2 nieces and a nephew.

Memorial service to be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 26, 2014 at Roswell Funeral Home, 950 Mansell Road, Roswell, GA 30076.

Inurnment at the Columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the South Carolina Historic Aviation Foundation (www.schistoricaviation.org) or Wounded Warrior Project (www.woundedwarriorproject.org).