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Thursday, October 29, 2026Oct 29

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Funeral service held for Blue Angels pilot

The family of Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss thanks people lined up through town as the motorcade escorting his remains makes its way to Greenmount Cemetery on Saturday, June 11, 2016 in Durango Colo. Kuss, 32, who died June 2 when his plane crashed during a Blue Angels practice exercise for an air show in Tennessee. He was a Durango native. (Jerry McBride/The Durango Herald via AP)
The family of Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss thanks people lined up through town as the motorcade escorting his remains makes its way to Greenmount Cemetery on Saturday, June 11, 2016 in Durango Colo. Kuss, 32, who died June 2 when his plane crashed during a Blue Angels practice exercise for an air show in Tennessee. He was a Durango native. (Jerry McBride/The Durango Herald via AP) The family of Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss thanks people lined up through town as the motorcade escorting his remains makes its way to Greenmount Cemetery on Saturday, June 11, 2016 in Durango Colo. Kuss, 32, who died June 2 when his plane crashed during a Blue Angels practice exercise for an air show in Tennessee. He was a Durango native. (Jerry McBride/The Durango Herald via AP)

DURANGO, Colo. (AP) – People waving flags and standing at attention said goodbye Saturday to a Blue Angels pilot who was killed in a crash while practicing for an air show.

The private service for Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss was capped by a 21-gun salute and a flyover by Marine units that he served with before joining the Blue Angels flight demonstration team nearly two years ago.

The service was held in his hometown, Durango, about 340 miles southwest of Denver. Kuss graduated from Durango High School in 2002 and Fort Lewis College in 2006,

Kuss was killed while practicing for an airshow near Nashville, Tennessee, on June 2. He is survived by his wife and two young children.

Gov. John Hickenlooper ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor Kuss.