Capt Alan D. Lighthall was killed in an automobile accident on Sunday November 15, 1981 in Gaithersburg, Maryland at the age of 31.  Also killed in the accident were his wife Jana Lynn Godfrey Lighthall, 27, their son Nathan J. Lighthall, age 3, and their daughter Rebekah Lyn Lighthall, age 8 months.  Another son Brian Alan Lighthall, age 5 was seriously injured with broken legs and a fractured arm, but survived the accident.  The family was en route to church at Gaithersburg where Capt. and Mrs. Lighthall were to be speakers at an LDS Sacrament Service when the accident occurred.  The family was stopped for a stop sign when another vehicle traveling at high speed hit them head on.  It was later found that the driver of the other vehicle was a 15 year old boy without a drivers license.

Alan attended Weber State College, served an LDS mission in Sydney, Austrailia, and received a BS degree from BYU.  He married Jana Lynn Godfrey from Newdale, Idaho on July 19, 1975 in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple.  Alan furthered his education receiving an MPA degree from Ball State University with more graduate studies at George Washinton University.   Alan entered the Army through the ROTC program.  The family spent 3 1/2 years in Germany and then 2 1/2 years at the Pentagon.  Alan had just received a reassignment to Fort Stewart, Georgia and the LDS ward in Maryland had arranged for the family to present a program.  They had planned to then leave to be with family in Utah for Thanksgiving before beginning the assignment in Georgia. 

Surviving were his son Brian, his parents Maj. Donald E. Lighthall (ret) and Eileen Purdue Lighthall of South Ogden; one brother and sister, Jay T. Lighthall, North Ogden, and Mrs. Robert (Barbara) Mathis, Midway Utah.  Jay reported that Brian Alan Lighthall was raised by family and is doing well with a family of his own.