Daniel “Dan” Dameo, 89, passed away peacefully at home in Bridgewater, New Jersey, surrounded by his loving family on May 21, 2026.
Dan, a highly accomplished and nationally acclaimed aviator in the warbird and airshow community, attended Syracuse University and graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Business. He married Joan Soper of Malone, New York, in 1956, and their joyful marriage lasted nearly 70 years. He spent his professional career alongside his brother, Rocque, his sister, Virginia, and his nephews, building the family business, Dameo Trucking, founded by his father in 1936.
Beyond his family, Dan’s true passion was aviation. He received his pilot’s license at age 16 and became a highly accomplished, nationally acclaimed aviator, flying mostly WWII-era planes known as Warbirds. Dan performed in countless air shows across the country as part of the Six of Diamonds flight team and as a solo performer. As an EAA Warbirds of America Aerobatic Competency Evaluator (ACE), he trained and certified warbird pilots for airshow worthiness. In support of the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, Long Island, Dan flew its stable of warbirds at air shows nationwide.
He was one of a handful of highly skilled pilots selected by the U.S. Navy Legacy Flight Foundation to fly WWII aircraft alongside today’s military fighter jets in airshows. As a corporate jet pilot for Chubb Insurance during the late 1980s-90s, he flew many life-saving Angel Flights bringing donated organs to needy families. In 2008, the Federal Aviation Administration presented Dan with the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, recognizing his 50 years of professionalism, skill, and expertise in aviation.
Dan was an active member of the Somerville Rotary Club, Warbirds of America, Quiet Birdmen, Raritan Valley Country Club, and Jonathan’s Landing Country Club, among others.
Over the years, he enjoyed spending time at family homes in Jupiter, Florida; Bridgewater, New Jersey; Bridgewater, Vermont; and Owl’s Head, NY.
Friend and associate at the American Airpower Museum, Gary Lewi recalls, “Dan had an infectious smile that would light up the place. I had the opportunity to share this photo with him as he was declining and tell him he was the best IFR Warbird pilot who ever danced on a rain-drenched flightline. Given that the standard Warbirds protocol is not to fly in IFR conditions, that smile of his returned, and you knew Dan’s puckish sense of humor was still very much alive and well. That smile will stay with me for a very, very long time.”
Volunteer members of the 533rd Living History Squadron at the American Airpower Museum remember Dan’s vibrant spirit, which touched so many lives.
Dan is survived by his loving wife, Joan; his daughters Dianne and Dana (David) Idema; and his son David. He was a devoted grandfather to Kendall, Claire, Spencer, Natalie, and Elizabeth (Austin), and great-grandfather to Willow, his sister, Kathleen, and many nephews and a niece.
