Memoir details love story between author and her husband, who became the presidential flight chief for Air Force One

Book highlights their life together, his military career, and his six-year battle with a rare form of cancer

WEST LIBERTY, Ohio, Oct. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- David Scheff first met his future wife while they were both employed at the same retail store. A few years later they were married, and two years later David was offered a full-time position aboard Air Force One as an avionics specialist. He later became the flight chief under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, until David became ill from a rare form of cancer called cholangiocarcinoma, also known as bile duct cancer.

In "Presidential Spirit," author Gina Scheff shares her emotional love story with David from their first meeting to moving to a small farm in Ohio after the tragic events of September 11. David later joined her on the farm after he retired in 2004. Gina later became a caregiver for David during his six-year battle with cancer. David's doctors and surgeons told him that he should write a book about his experiences. In response, he would tell them, "My wife, Gina, is going to write my book."

"At David's request, I started writing the book when he got sick," said Scheff. "I started in 2008 and finally finished it in 2020, after I lost him. It was a promise I made to him and kept."

David's career with the Air Force and his work on Air Force One was his top priority, and he took immense pride in his responsibilities, working long hours to ensure the aircraft was always mission ready. During his tenure, he received the Presidential Service Badge and a Certificate for Honorable Service to the White House. Then, in 2007, he began experiencing hot flashes and loss of appetite while his skin, eyes, and tongue had turned yellow. After a series of tests, he was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, which had already advanced to stage four. David fought the disease for six years, enduring extensive surgeries, including a Whipple procedure, and undergoing numerous rounds of chemotherapy and clinical trials. He faced setbacks, including pneumonia, a chyle leak, blood clots, and a collapsing colon stent. Despite his illness, David maintained a positive attitude, continuing to work, earn his MBA, and live his life to the fullest until his death.

"This was a once-in-a-lifetime romance full of high-flying adventure, down home simplicity, and true love in the midst of cancer," said Scheff. "I want to share this story about the amazing man who had the spirit of an eagle, whose wings could soar above any circumstance."

"Presidential Spirit: The True Story of an Airman Who Soared Above His Circumstances and the Woman Who Was the Wind Beneath His Wings"
By Gina S Scheff
ISBN: 9781532086700 (softcover); 9781532091612 (hardcover); 9781532086717 (electronic); 9781663209702 (audio)
Available at iUniverse, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author
Gina S. Scheff moved to Kansas and then to California before settling at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. She worked in retail and later as a cook supervisor at an airport cafeteria. She eventually became an accountant and then a concept food court manager. After marrying David Scheff, she moved to a small farm in Ohio, where she enjoyed raising animals, and where she still resides.  To learn more, please visit www.iuniverse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/786870-presidential-spirit.

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SOURCE iUniverse