Warren Michael Lamphiear

June 25, 1981 - March 15, 2019

Warren Michael Lamphiear, age 37 years 8 months, and 20 days of Athens, Georgia left on his final mission on March 15, 2019. Warren was born on June 25, 1981 in Seaside, Oregon to Lana Maureen Pattison Lamphiear and Mark Alan Lamphiear. Warren was a charming, happy, fun, dapper, extremely organized and earnest boy who enjoyed Cub Scouts, sports, school, and God. He was a great brother to George and to his two sisters Veronica and Kara, and at a very young age was a caretaker of all. His boys and nephews already strongly resemble their daddy and Uncle Warren in so many ways. Warren was an active Boy Scout, participating in the 1993 National Jamboree and earning SCUBA certification at the Florida Sea Base. Warren earned the rank of Eagle Scout and was very proud of this accomplishment. His Eagle project was building bridges in the Kings Mountain State Park. He earned his Duty to God award along with many other Boy Scout awards. His wife often liked to attribute him knowing how to do "everything" so well in part due to Scouts and in part due to his dad ...and knowing how to love so selflessly due to his mom. Warren was brilliant at everything he attempted, but he was extremely successful in academics. At Ashbrook High School in Gastonia, NC, Warren excelled in his classes, as well as football, soccer, and wrestling, graduating in 1999. He then moved on to become a Tar Heel at UNC Chapel Hill. While at Carolina, he served on the Attorney General's Staff and was on the rowing crew and the wresting team. He graduated with a BS in Business Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill's nationally renowned Keenan Flagler Business School in 2003. Warren later completed an MBA in Finance at Harvard University while living in Sioux Falls. Despite having endured a heart attack in November 2016 and open heart surgery in April 2017, he never missed a test, took finals on time, and graduated with honors; proudly walking in the May 2017 graduation ceremony in Cambridge, MA 6 weeks after his surgery. Always driven - his friends liked to say about him (and now his kids) "he was a beast". As anyone who knew him, his fierce dedication to anyone or anything he sought to take care of was unparalleled. Our hearts burst with pride. Upon graduation, Warren entered the US Navy where he quickly became the best of the best. Warren's military career was impressive, as was everything he did. He completed Officer Candidate School and then began flight training, flying single engine then multi-engine Navy training aircraft. One of his most fond memories during training was SERE (Survival Evasion Resistance Escape) School. Upon earning his Naval Aviator Wings of Gold, "Lumpy" selected the P-3 Orion, a multi-mission aircraft, primarily developed for anti-submarine warfare. Over the next few years, Warren continued to advance in rank and experience, becoming an Aircraft Commander, Mission Commander, and Instructor Pilot. He spent countless hours training and mentoring the best pilots in the world. While attached to the Skinny Dragons of Patrol Squadron Four in Hawaii, Warren’s expert leadership and tactical acumen were recognized by being only one of a very few Lieutenants ranked number one for two competitive evaluation cycles. This was an extremely rare occurrence in the Patrol and Reconnaissance community. Throughout his career Warren was deployed supporting global operations all over the world, including Japan, the Philippines, Iraq, El Salvador, and he participated in the global fight against terrorism in combating Abu Sayyaf and Al Qaeda. In addition to the P-3C Orion, he trained and qualified in the C-130 “Hercules” as part of the test and evaluation squadron, VX-30, The Bloodhounds, playing a pivotal role in monitoring missile testing and supporting NASA rocket launches and space shuttle re-entry. Warren transitioned to the Illinois Air Guard, flying C-130s while Andrea completed her fellowship training, and then on to the 185th Air Refueling Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard in Sioux City when they moved to Sioux Falls, SD. Warren also flew a King Air for Avera Air Ambulance and helped bring many people from all over rural SD, IA, MN, NE, and ND to safety in the bitter winters of the plains. Warren's life passion was flying. At the time of his death, he was awaiting the fate of his military career, but was thrilled to have been able to get his FAA re-certification. He earned the admiration, respect, and love of so many pilots and military members from around the world, from the enlisted men and women under his charge to highly decorated military officers, not just for his prowess as an aviator and officer, but more importantly, for what kind of human being he was. During Warren’s service in the Navy and Air Force, he earned many awards, including: ● Air Medal, 4 Awards ● Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, 2 Gold Stars ● Joint Service Achievement Medal ● Navy Achievement Medal ● Joint Meritorious Unit Award ● Air Force Outstanding Unit Award ● Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation ● Iraq Campaign Medal ● Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal ● Global War on Terrorism Service Medal ● Sea Service Deployment Ribbon ● Naval Expert Marksman Pistol. While stationed in Hawaii in 2006, Warren met an Iowa girl who was doing her medical intern year there. Andrea Gail Hastings was the love of his life. They married on June 3, 2009 in Hawaii just days after him getting home from deployment. He proposed days before leaving for a tour with a string, and although they had already made all the arrangements for a wedding in Iowa on December 12, 2009; they couldn't wait and so they had two weddings. The first with just the two of them on a beautiful beach in their beloved Hawaii; and one surrounded by their treasured family and friends in Iowa. Although it was still a joke between all that they only liked them enough to invite them to the Iowa, wedding right between two blizzards. All joking aside, she loved him so dearly she would have married him every day for the rest of her life if only she had been so lucky. Between Warren’s Navy assignments and Andrea’s residency and fellowship training and subsequently his transition to the Air Guard and their first few jobs, They lived everywhere together; Tampa, FL , Camarillo, CA, Oxnard, CA, Peoria, IL, Sioux Falls SD, and most recently, Athens, GA, where they relocated in October of 2018. They did more living in their short lives than most do in a long lifetime and amassed a wealth of adventurous memories and wonderful friends and "family" who supported them in so many ways throughout the years. No matter where their house happened to be or what country Warren was deployed to, Warren and Andrea always knew that their home was wherever the other was. Having said that, they had just recently been saying how much they cherished seeing the kids play with their cousins and getting to spend time with his siblings and he was so looking forward to a motorcycle ride in the Smoky Mountains with his brother this summer. The last 6 months living closer to his family was truly God sent. Given their wanderlust, despite never actually living in Iowa together full time since they met, Warren always said he felt like Iowa was his home. He loved the beauty, pace, green fields, and the open spaces...as many people do after spending time in rural Iowa. As he liked to say to people, "Is this Heaven? No, it's Iowa." All the more fitting that the place he chose as his final resting place will overlook not just this scene, but also the airport which will keep him busy until the rest of us can join him. As a true Renaissance man, Warren really was incapable of doing anything less than perfect. But of all that Warren loved and excelled at, his greatest accomplishment in life was as a husband and father. He recently became the coach of his sons’ soccer team and despite having had only one game, when hearing the news, the parents and children reached out to rave about "Coach Warren" and how gentle and kind he was with the kids. Nothing brought him more happiness than sharing time with his family - whether it was helping kids with homework, (he was busy teaching Maxmath and Ben how to read this year), curled up in bed reading bedtime stories, cooking, cleaning, doing yard work, fixing things, bathing with all 4 kids, going to the park, watching movies, camping, boating, running, pushing the kids in strollers for races, fishing, swimming, or pulling the kids behind "Three Little Buoys and a Gull" on a tube on Lake Okoboji while the boys shrieked with delight and Andrea yelled to slow down in fear...or just being still in their favorite place ... cuddled up at home with the kids wrapped in the safe warmth of daddy's strong arms. And somehow through everything that was thrown at him, he never faltered in how well he took care of his family. Warren was the paramount husband and daddy. Warren spent his last day, March 15, 2019, doing what he loved, spending time with his family and taking a short sunset flight in his "other baby," his Aerostar. After landing, he was called to his next duty. Warren lived his life larger than life, and there will never be words to adequately express the void he is leaving here on earth. Every heart who knew him will take years to mend after losing such a beautiful soul. We can only hope all those grieving hearts will help his memory live on within his four beautiful children. When Andrea asked her boys what they thought about their daddy, this is what they had to say: Sam (3): (Interrupted by lots of "I love my daddy and I like my daddy and I don't want Daddy to die)... "Strong muscles, I like him being my 'wion' (growls), I 'wike' to cook with him and go in the attic but he doesn't let me go when I want, and I like his 'cossee' (coffee), he handsome and he played good and he sooo big, and I like going to hop in the airplane with him." Ben (5): "He died. He fixed things. He made flowers grow. He had sharp tools. He was in the Navy. He helped people. He was our soccer coach...our coach died. I liked to wrestle him. I love him very much. He looked just like me and I look just like him." Max (7): "Huggable, cute, funny, warm, kind, brave, good in heart, best dad, and never gave up. And can we share our home address and phone number, just in case anyone wants to visit us or call us." His children already exhibit so many of their daddy's qualities - his brilliance, charm, great looks, bravery, and his heart. Max, Ben, and Sam's beautiful ray of sunshine baby sister Charlie (or Chili as the boys lovingly nicknamed her and Daddy always called her) will continue to learn about her daddy from her big brothers- and to be protected by them and her daddy's ferocious love. We hope they will all learn what their daddy had mastered - something most cannot - the grace to have such tremendous strength yet overwhelming kindness. A friend of Andrea told her early on in their relationship, "He soothes your soul". Warren has always and will continue to soothe all of our souls. Warren's memory will be cherished by his beloved wife, Dr. Andrea Gail Hastings Lamphiear and their wonderful children Maximus Alan, 7, Bennett Michael, 5, Samson Hastings, 3, and Charlotte Jolee (Charlie), 11 mo., of Athens, GA. Families are Forever. Warren is also survived by his mother Lana Chanarkasingh (Kelvin) of Hickory Grove, SC, and father Mark Lamphiear (Rebecca) of Gastonia, NC, as well as his siblings, spouses, and their children: George (Sarah) Lamphiear and son William of Raleigh, NC; Veronica (Pete) Michel and sons Wyatt and Garrett of Huntersville, NC; Kara (Alex) Morehouse and daughter Hayden of Cherryville, NC, as well as mother-in-law Cathy Toben (Brian Wambold) of Perry, IA, brother-in-law Cole (Laura) Hastings and their children Dakota and Levi of Maxwell, IA, and grandparents Chuck and Dina Hastings, and Tom and Jeanette Flack, all of Jefferson, IA; as well as many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and many many friends who were also like family to Warren. Warren is preceded in death by his grandparents, George and Fay Lamphiear, Robert (Pat) and Mary Pattison and Andrea's father, Charles (Chuckie) Scott Hastings. Instead of cards, please write something about Warren to help keep his memory alive for his children and family members. Cards may be sent in Warren’s name to Hastings Funeral Home, Box 204, Perry, Iowa 50220 Instead of cards, if you could write something about Warren, a fun memory, his best qualities, or what you loved most about him, it would mean a lot to our family, especially to me and our children. I want to help them understand as they get older how much Warren meant to everyone and what an amazing human he was. :Warren, a fun memory, his best qualities, or what you loved most about him, it would mean a lot to our family, especially to me and our children. I want to help them understand as they get older how much Warren meant to everyone and what an amazing human he was. Please bring to the funeral or send one of the following ways: email account: [email protected] There is also a link here to post pictures if you would like to share photos of Warren. https://photos.app.goo.gl/qkNQqFvRjvdX3uZD8 Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, March 23, 2019 at Hastings Funeral Home, Perry, Iowa Word of Comfort were provided by Rev. Fr. Jeremy Wind of Cathedral Of The Epiphany, Sioux City, Iowa, other Speaker: John Paul Igoe, Jorja Muir, Edward Kelleher, Chris Berbert and Curtis Oja Clinton Oja. Poem by siblings Slipped the bonds of Earth read by George Lamphiear, His Journey Has Just Begun, Kara Lamphiear Morehouse, A Soldier’s Remembrance, Veronica Michel. Honorary Casket Bearers were Maximus Lamphiear, Bennett Lamphiear, Samson Lamphiear, Charlotte Lamphiear, Wyatt Michel, Garrett Michel, William Lamphiear, Hayden Morehouse, Dakota Hastings and Levi Hastings Active Casket Bearers were George Lamphiear, Cole Hastings, Alex Morehouse, Pete Michel, Tommy Thekkekandam, Josh Lee, Clinton Oja, Curtis Oja, John Paul Igoe and Chris Berbert. Pianist was Tanner Hastings Taylor, Soloist Dr. Tamara Fuller-Eddins songs were Wind Beneath My Wings , Time To Say Good Bye and You Are My Hero. Burial was in the Jefferson Cemetery ~ Jefferson, Iowa, Military Rites Iowa Air National Guard~ 185th ARW Honors Detail and The United States Navy Honors Detail flag presented by his commanding officer and other crew member. Flyover by the Sioux City Group of the Iowa National Guard. A time of lunch and fellowship at Tom & Jeanette Flack’s Home, Jefferson, Iowa, following the service at the cemetery.