MICHAEL T. ZURFLUH, LT, USN
Michael Zurfluh '71
Lucky Bag
From the 1971 Lucky Bag:
MICHAEL T. ZURFLUH
Tacoma, Washington
Zurf comes from the land of deer and trout and has taken his share of both in the state of Washington. Mike came to the Academy, rosey cheeked, straight from high school. He never lost his spirit while here, a few roommates maybe, but never his spirit. His fiercely competitive nature carried over well from the athletic field to the fantasyland of academics, and he could usually be found on the Sup's list. Mike has almost become a naturalized citizen of Virginia due to his continued attraction there. It looks like marriage is just around the corner for Mike, and after that, the best pilot the Navy will see for a long time to come.
MICHAEL T. ZURFLUH
Tacoma, Washington
Zurf comes from the land of deer and trout and has taken his share of both in the state of Washington. Mike came to the Academy, rosey cheeked, straight from high school. He never lost his spirit while here, a few roommates maybe, but never his spirit. His fiercely competitive nature carried over well from the athletic field to the fantasyland of academics, and he could usually be found on the Sup's list. Mike has almost become a naturalized citizen of Virginia due to his continued attraction there. It looks like marriage is just around the corner for Mike, and after that, the best pilot the Navy will see for a long time to come.
Loss
Michael was lost on June 2, 1975 when the aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Barber's Point, Hawaii.
Other Information
From the November 1975 issue of Shipmate:
Lt. Michael Thomas Zurfluh USN died as a result of an aircraft accident on 2 June 1975 off the Naval Air Station Barber's Point, Hawaii. Memorial services were held at the NAS Chapel conducted by Capt. (ChC) John F. Laboon USN '44.
Entering the Naval Academy from the State of Washington, he was graduated in the Class of 1971. At the academy he was a member of the Flying Club and a champion boxer in the 127-pound class.
After graduation he reported to USS Cacapon, then entered flight training and was designated a naval aviator in November 1973 at Kingsville, Texas. He then reported to Fleet Composite Squadron One, flying the A4E Skyhawk. He was lost at sea while proceeding to an initial approach fix for landing at Barber's Point.
He is survived by his widow, Kathleen, and two sons, Steven and Karl; and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Zurfluh, all of Tacoma WA.
His Find A Grave page is here.
Photographs
From the November 1975 issue of Shipmate.
Mike as a Midshipman 1/c or 2/c
Mike as a Midshipman 1/c or 2/c
14th Company Brigade Championship Lightweight Football Team, Mike's 1/c year. He was a star receiver and is front row center.
Remembrances
From FamilySearch (originally posted to USNA.com in a longer form):
Arriving at the Naval Academy in June 1967, I found the climate very much like my home in Texas - hot and humid. From day one, we did lots of marching and running which did not bother me at all. In fact, I was one of the very few Plebes who actually gained weight that summer. When you start out at six one and 120 pounds, you only have one way to go - up. We were introduced to the Physical Training program which included lots of swimming, a physical fitness test (push-ups, pull-ups, etc.), a mile run for time AND boxing.
Being more of a lover than a fighter, boxing was totally foreign to me. At some point during Plebe Summer, the entire company went to boxing class in Macdonough Hall. A couple of Marine Captains were in charge, and they told us to pair off by height and weight. As it turned out, the last two guys unpaired were Mike Zurfluh and I. All I knew about Zurf was that he was from Seattle, Washington, only stood about 5' 6" and had a very flat nose and I thought funny looking ears. One of the Marines said, "You two freaks fight each other." We got our boxing equipment which consisted of really big gloves and protective head gear. These items had been used by every class of midshipmen since Admiral Dewey was a plebe and they smelled something AWFUL! After each boxing class, it took two days of hard hand scrubbing to get the stink off. But this was our first experience so we suited up and got ready for our turn in the ring. With my height advantage, I felt confident that I could keep Zurf away from my vital areas and punch around on him at will. It didn't turn out that way. When the Marine rang the bell to start our match, Zurfluh came at me like a shot and hit me at least a thousand times before I could even get my hands up! It was a massacre.
I did survive somehow; I think God made Zurf show some pity on me. I was helped out of the ring and Zurf was signed up then and there for the Brigade Boxing Team as a lightweight. Then and only then did Zurf let it be known that he had been a Golden Gloves champion in Seattle! The teaching point for that first boxing class was to watch out for short guys with flat noses and funny looking ears..."
I only saw Zurf one time after graduation. He married his sweetheart and went to flight school. Shortly before I deployed on my second cruise to Vietnam, I was invited to dinner by Zurf and his bride at their quarters on NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii. Zurf was flying A-4s for a composite squadron stationed there. Another classmate and company-mate, Marine Lieutenant George Rogers and his wife were also invited; and a grand time was had by all. Some time later during the cruise, I learned that Michael Zurfluh had died in a training flight accident in the Hawaiian Op Areas. The Navy had lost a fine officer. The world had lost a true gentleman and a wonderful human being. Captain M. W. Newman '71, USN (Ret.)
Company Memories
Ahead of the fiftieth anniversary of his death, Mike's company-mates contributed their memories of him, below.
From 1st Class year (1st set) roommate Gene Baker:
Mike and I were roommates during the first set of first class year. So, before a parade, Mike and I wanted to catch a little snooze. I went to the plebe room next door and told them to wake us up twenty minutes before the parade formation. Well, of course, the plebes forgot to wake us. We both woke up a few minutes after formation time. We quickly threw our parade uniforms on, including those darn leggings! We grabbed our rifles and flew down the stairs (ladder). In a dead run, we passed all of the companies that were marching behind fourteen company. We finally reached fourteenth company, thankfully before they got to Worden Field. We fell in on the last rank and successfully marched on.
Now, of course, no bad deed goes unpunished so we both got fried for "late to formation." We were glad there was no regulation for "very, very late to formation." This was during the time that we had to march off our demerits rather than restrict. So, on a Saturday afternoon, Mike and I marched off our demerits with our rifles over our shoulders for the requisite amount of time. And, no, we did not take too much revenge against the miserable, forgetful, low-rent, guiltily plebes.
From plebe summer roommate Roger Young:
During plebe summer, I was roommates with Mike along with Bill Zubkoff. Plebe summer was a shock and a learning experience for most of us that didn't have exposure to a military environment. On top of the plebe summer chaos, Mike faced a culture adjustment. He was a shy Pacific Coast guy, rooming with two outgoing East Coast guys, one from New York (me) and the other from Miami (Bill). We all got along and benefited from each other's friendship and viewpoints. He was the observer, never the center of attention but always a well thought out contribution. Mike's height earned him a spot in the three man first row as we lined up for our morning 3 mile run: Organek, Burgess and Zurfluh. Mike was in great shape, had no body fat and could run effortlessly forever. Right behind him in the second row I reminded him that the running pace was somewhat in his hands and us non-runners appreciated all the help we could get to survive. Back in our room after the run, I was always amazed that he never broke a sweat and looked like he had just finished reading a book.
Mike was very competitive as a boxer and as a member of the 14th Company Brigade Lightweight Football Champion team. Although we all spent a lot of time together, it took a while until we found out about his accomplishments as a Golden Glove boxer. He put on his "game face" and showed his determination and boxing skills when boxing company mates in class. Mike Newman's story about their encounter is a classic.
It was a culture adjustment of a shy Pacific coast guy rooming with two extravert East coast guys, one from Long Island and the other from Miami. We all got along and benefited from each other's viewpoint.
From company-mate Denny Desmond:
I remember Mike Zurfluh with an always ready smile and positive attitude. At USNA we would mostly talk about fishing and the huge fish he would catch out west while I was catching dinky little (but beautiful) brook trout in north central PA. I always looked forward to our chats.
One of the things I would read while in the ready room at VC-2 (NAS Oceana in VA Beach) were incident reports, accidents in particular. I remember the day when reading the report there was an item about an A-4 in another VC squadron going down. To my shock and horror, it involved Mike Zurfluh, and it hit me hard. I had already lost a number of friends in aircraft accidents, but that one was closer to home. It was a very sad day. Then there comes the conjecture about what happened. Unfortunately, I guess we'll never know.
I was glad to have called him my friend.
From company-mate Bob Goodwin:
I only knew Mike a short while but in the time that I knew him, I found him to be reserved, quiet, kind, confident and compassionate. It was during plebe summer that I had the privilege of spending time getting to know him. It was very soon after meeting our 2nd class company leaders we were “assigned” for a better word which sport we “wanted’ to participate in. Although I wanted to try out for the plebe football team, it was “suggested” by one our 2nd class leaders what I really wanted was plebe summer boxing. It was there that I saw that Mike had two personas, one that we saw every day, and the one when he entered the ring. When Mike entered the ring, he became the warrior that the Academy was training the rest of us to be fearless, focused on the objective, determined to eliminate the threat and to that end win the fight. I think of Mike often and some of the private conversations we had, and I knew that Mike would be a success at whatever specialty he selected. I was saddened to hear of his loss and only wished I had more time with him.
From company-mate Ed Kellogg:
I got pretty close to Mike and Kathie during our time in flight training down in Kingsville, Texas. Kathie, because she was always feeding the bachelor officers that would show up at dinner time, and Mike because he was eager to display his outdoor affinity for hunting and fishing.
One weekend in southern Texas Mike convinced me and two other pilot trainees to go dove hunting with him. Sure Mike, that just sounds like a lot of fun. We of course had to make a competition out of trying to shoot some little birds that fly by, so the two of us that were rookies were placed together. Heck, I'm a Marine, I can shoot anything. Ha! Mike's team had their own shotguns, so my partner and I hit the Special Services building to rent ours. We knew nothing about how much ammo we'd need etc., so we each bought a full box of shotgun shells. If you haven't been to south Texas yet, the wind really blows hard. Those little birds would fly by in full after-burner. Our team used a half box each and never hit a one, until we accidentally fired at the same time and nailed one of those little critters. From then on we used the WWII flak principle until we got a total of 3 and quit. Of course, Mike and his mate could hear all our shots. They were ticked at our "LUCK". They bought the rounds, as promised, when we got home.
Just a side note about Mike's fatal accident. He had a real "D---" of a C.O. and Mike was pushing on his maintenance test hop to get it done. My personal view was that it was the usual last step on the A-4 test flight. The hydraulic disconnect. I flew A-4s at the time. You would get the a/c all trimmed up, pull the handle, and time the rate of roll. Sometimes it was easy and other times it could get away from you. Much more difficult out over the ocean. We miss you Mike.
Family
From Bob Capra '71 on April 29, 2025:
After Mike passed, Kathie and her two sons Steve and Karl relocated to Tacoma, Washington so they could be near Mike’s family.
Kathie attended Pacific Lutheran University, where she received a master’s degree in Educational Leadership. She taught health and fitness and retired after over thirty years in that profession.
She married David Scott, who is also a retired educator, but she still goes by the last name Zurfluh.
She and David came to our 45th reunion in Annapolis, the 47.5 reunion in San Diego, as well as our 50th reunion in Annapolis.
Kathie and David were frequent visitors to spring training in Arizona, and discovered they liked seeing and feeling the sunshine, so they moved to a very active adult community in Goodyear, Arizona
Steven is a civil/mechanical engineer working in Engineering in Seattle, WA.
Karl lives with his wife, Sara, in Charleston, South Carolina, where he telecommutes to his creative director position with Petrol in Burbank, CA.
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