Gregory Hugh Church

Gregory Hugh Church, a husband, father, fighter pilot and hunter, passed away unexpectedly on Nov. 27, 2025. He was 57.

Greg was born to Doris Gossett and Thomas David Church Sr. in Anderson, South Carolina. Growing up, there wasn’t anything Greg thought he couldn’t accomplish, and he always wanted to know everything he could to perform the best he possibly could in every task he undertook. It was equally as important to him to make sure everyone else was successful, too.

At 17, Greg approached his dad and said he wanted to be a pilot. He went to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach where he got his private pilot’s license. Then, he went to Texas for ENJJPT and then Arizona to learn to fly the F-16. It was during his time at Luke AFB where Greg met his wife, Dawn, at the officer’s club. They later eloped and married on a cruise ship in Florida. The pair celebrated their 30-year anniversary in August.

The Air Force took Greg, Dawn and eventually their two kids everywhere from Italy and Germany to California and Virginia. The family’s greatest adventure was during their two placements at Eielson AFB in interior Alaska, which totaled a decade.

During his nearly 23-year military career, Greg completed 2,233 flight hours and 120 combat sorties, including a deployment to Bosnia. He was chief of ACC Weapons and Tactics and the Airborne Systems Branch, chief of Weapons and Tactics at 80 Fighter squadron, and achieved his biggest goal of all when he was selected to command Red Flag in Alaska.

Greg spent all year prepping for his most favorite hobby of all — elk hunting with his buddies 10,000 feet up in the mountains between Idaho and Montana. Sometimes, that prep involved dragging a sand-filled tire across his residential neighborhood to emulate taking a freshly killed elk back to camp, much to the embarrassment of his children. Greg’s favorite place was on top of the mountain on those hunting trips, where he’d send pictures of the vibrant sunrises to Dawn and call his daughter on her birthday right before he lost cell phone service.

It was because of the military career and extreme hobbies that many referred to Greg as “the most badass guy” they knew. But to others, Greg was just known as “Dad,” who was constantly in Clemson gear to rep his family college or James Madison University gear to rep his daughter’s school. He was thrilled when both college teams won National Championships in 2016, and some even said he bore an uncanny resemblance to Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney (it is true, look up his picture).

To be Greg’s kid was to be relentlessly loved. During his daughter Abby’s high school cheerleading competitions, he jumped the highest and yelled the loudest of all the parents there. When she was off at college pursuing her dream of becoming a journalist, he was always the first to boast about how she got a front page story and read every single thing she wrote. He was the helping hand and guider during his son Miles’ years of Cub and Boy Scouts as he moved toward his Eagle Scout honor. Greg also passed down to Miles a fervent love of the outdoors, teaching him to shoot the bow and arrow. Some of Greg’s best memories were taking trips to the Boundary Waters with Miles and nephew Justin to fish, and taking a cross country road trip from Alaska to Virginia with Miles and the two family dogs, where they ate mostly cold cuts. Miles could not eat cold cuts for another four years after that trip.

When both kids grew up, Greg was also the first to talk about how proud he was of them to anyone who would listen.

Greg was, to others, the nicest guy they knew. If he borrowed your lawn mower in the morning, you’d find him in your yard later that day mowing your grass too. Anyone who needed help got it with him.

He continued to help others even after his death. As an organ donor, Greg helped saved the lives of somewhere between six to nine people.

Greg is survived by his wife, Dawn Church; his children Abby Church and Miles Church (wife Starr); his dog and best buddy Huxley; his father Thomas David Church Sr.; his siblings Thomas David Church Jr. (wife Jennifer and children Thomas and Cameron) and Catherine Wilson (husband Jason and children Lauren and River); his parents-in-law Larry and Connie Parrish; and countless other family members and friends. He is preceded in death by his mother, Doris Gossett, and his sister, Amy.

*Memorial service will take place 1 p.m. Saturday, February 21, 2026 at the Peninsula Community Chapel, 4209 Big Bethel Road, Yorktown, VA 23693.

A reception, at the church, will immediately follow the service until 4 p.m.

*For those not able to attend we will attempt to create a live stream. https://vimeo.com/event/5738818

Arrangements and heartfelt guidance through Claytor Rollins Funeral Home.

Online condolences to claytorrollins.com.

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