Richard Mortimer Ware

Richard Mortimer "Dick" Ware was a former United States Marine Corps fighter pilot who later flew for Pan American World Airways and spent 35 years as a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley. He died on 10 September 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida, at the age of 96, according to a family obituary published through Memorial Park Funeral Home and Legacy.com.

Ware was born on 9 June 1930 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After service as a Marine Corps fighter pilot he began a career as a commercial pilot with Pan American World Airways, one of the major international carriers of the postwar decades. It was during his Pan Am years that he met Maria, a Pan Am stewardess, while the two were deadheading on a flight to London. That chance meeting began a life together that spanned decades.

He later embarked on a career as a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley, where he spent 35 years serving clients before retiring in 1995. The move from the cockpit to financial advising shaped the second half of his working life and kept him in close contact with clients and colleagues in the Tampa Bay area.

Away from work he enjoyed golf, but sailing was one of the great passions of his life. For more than 50 years he raced his sailboat Moonraker on the waters of Tampa Bay, winning numerous races and earning Boat of the Year honors. Just as important to him were the friendships and camaraderie that came with a lifetime of sailing. At home he was an avid gardener who took pride in his flowers and could often be found tending them with classical music or opera playing in the background. He and Maria also shared a special love for a small cottage in the mountains of North Carolina.

Maria died in 2008. He is survived by his daughter Marsha Estudillo (Douglas) of Portland, Oregon; his son Rick Ware (Kelly) of St. Petersburg; four grandchildren, Rachel Helinger (Joe), Brian Ware and Steven Ware of St. Petersburg, and Felipe Estudillo Colon of Albuquerque, New Mexico; and three great-grandchildren.

His family's notice remembered him as a true gentleman, kind and gracious. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor his memory were invited to contribute to the St. Anthony's Hospital Foundation in St. Petersburg. Funeral arrangements were under the care of Memorial Park Funeral Home and Crematory in St. Petersburg.

This memorial draws on the Legacy.com family obituary (id 62405857) and related EchoVita notice. It records the verified dates, careers and family details from those sources without inventing further military or airline service records.