Recent Obituaries of Classmates and Spouses
This reporting of sad events starts now and does not go back to pick up obituaries from earlier days. The content is not exhaustive by any means as obituaries might not be published for any number of reasons. The page is organized as “Last in, Top Listed!”. Obituaries will be retained for some reasonable time and then removed. Thus this page is more current events than historical repository. In that sense, this page serves as an adjunct to “Last Call”in Shipmate. If anyone knows of a recent obituary that has not been published herein, please advise your Webmeister at [email protected].
Andrew S. Massimino (10/9/1934 - 8/24/2024)
Andrew S. Massimino, 89, passed away peacefully at his Dallas, Texas home on August 24, 2024, in the company of his loving family.
Born in 1934 in Russellton, Pennsylvania, to Italian immigrants Enrico and Marguerite Massimino, Andrew grew up steeped in the values of family, faith, hard work, and caring for others. These values shaped his character and guided him throughout his life.
As a young child, Andrew watched his father go off to work in the coal mines every day while his mother tended a massive backyard garden that produced food for the family. Rich in love, the family’s financial means were modest, and Andrew, an outstanding student-athlete, did not envision college in his future. But one of his West Deer High School teachers, Miss Christine Lambert, saw something special in Andrew and encouraged him to seek a nomination to the United States Naval Academy. The power of that encouragement never left him, and it changed the trajectory of his life. He received a congressional appointment to the Academy in 1953 and headed to Annapolis.
During his four years at the Academy, Andrew excelled in academics, athletics, and leadership. He was a member of the “illustrious” Third Company, which achieved top ranking out of 30 his senior year. Perhaps an obvious choice to be President of the Italian Club, Andrew was also captain of the varsity baseball team and excelled at soccer, a sport he had never played before entering the Academy. He was a member of the varsity soccer team his junior and senior years and was selected All-American both years. In his senior year, Andrew was awarded the annual Thompson Trophy, which recognizes the midshipman who has done the most for the promotion of athletics at the Academy. (Roger Staubach and David Robinson later followed in those size 9 footsteps!) These accomplishments would eventually lead to his induction into the U.S. Naval Academy Athletics Hall of Fame. Andrew graduated with distinction in June 1957, an Ensign in the U.S. Navy.
After serving two years on the USS Boston, the world’s first guided missile cruiser, Andrew completed the US Naval Submarine School curriculum. In June 1959, he married his high school sweetheart, Frances Bonadio, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and they began their grand adventure of married life in spectacular fashion. With orders to report to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for service on board the USS Tiru, the couple embarked on an epic month-long honeymoon, driving their 1957 Chevy Bel Air across the country to San Francisco, where they boarded the SS Matsonia and headed to sea.
When he arrived on the base at Pearl Harbor, the commanding admiral, who had learned of Andrew’s athletic achievements at the Academy, gave the young ensign an unusual assignment: put together and coach a Sub-Pac basketball team that could beat the Marines stationed nearby. Andrew said “Aye, aye,” recruited players from all over the United States, persuaded them to join the Navy, and delivered a winning season. On the back of that success, Andrew’s next assignment from the admiral was to serve not on a ship or submarine, but as second baseman on the Sub-Pac baseball team. That experience featured a sports diplomacy tour of Japan and culminated in a Field-of-Dreams-type game back in Hawaii against the San Francisco Giants, who would go on to win the National League pennant the following year. Andrew often told the story of struggling against major-league pitching that day, but his family cherished hearing the real highlight of that game, where Andrew tagged out Willie Mays, the “Say Hey Kid,” at second base.
The young couple enjoyed their adventure in Hawaii, but after two years of trying to fit studying for his submarine qualification exams in between basketball and baseball games, it was time to get down to business. Andrew was selected to join the elite nuclear power program, and he and Fran were sent to Vallejo, California, where Andrew attended the USS Naval Nuclear Power School. After that, the reality of Navy life set in.
Seven moves in nine years—with a new child born at every other stop—kept life hectic and exciting. Following training at the operational reactor site in Ballston Spa, New York, Andrew began his nuclear submarine service in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where the USS John Adams was under construction, and then with the USS Ethan Allen in New London, Connecticut, and later Newport News, Virginia. The family moved to Charleston, South Carolina in 1968, where Andrew qualified for command and completed an executive officer tour on the USS Haddo. During that period, with the Cold War in full swing, the Haddo was involved in clandestine operations crucial to intelligence gathering for which Andrew was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. It would be decades before his family knew any particulars of that story.
In 1969, Andrew was selected for early promotion to Commander and was hand-picked by the infamously particular Admiral Hiram Rickover, “father of the nuclear Navy,” to join his staff at the Pentagon. Andrew and Fran sold the house in Charleston—the first they had ever owned—and prepared to move the family to Washington, DC. But the universe had other plans.
In January of 1970, Andrew started experiencing intense headaches and sudden vision disruption. He reported to the ship’s infirmary and was immediately hospitalized. For weeks, as his health inexplicably deteriorated, the four children were watched over by supportive neighbors and shipmates, enabling Fran to spend most of her days by his side. As Andrew’s condition worsened and became critical, Fran was told to prepare for the worst. But a young Navy doctor, Paul Chodroff, refused to give up on the rising star. He suspected a brain abscess, but without modern diagnostic tools, the only way to confirm his hunch was exploratory brain surgery. That surgery saved Andrew’s life.
Thanks to Dr. Chodroff’s skill and courage, Andrew had the opportunity to live a full and rewarding life with Fran and their children—just not the one they had expected. The physical impairment left by the abscess—diminished peripheral vision and massive memory loss—derailed Andrew’s promising Navy career. At age 35, with four young children, he had to start over. While he considered many options—in real estate development, the nuclear power industry, even law school—ultimately, Andrew found his next great challenge and opportunity in Dallas, Texas, with Electronic Data Systems, a computer processing company founded and run by H. Ross Perot (USNA 1953). Hired directly by Mr. Perot without a title or even a clear career path, Andrew jumped right into the mission and the culture—do your job, build a team, and follow the chain of command. While his background as a nuclear engineer wasn’t directly relevant, Andrew adapted and quickly worked his way up the management line. He took "command" of the Data Center on Forest Lane, trained and mentored hundreds of young professionals getting their start in a new field, and wrapped up his time at EDS managing the health benefits program. After 26 years of hard work, loyalty, and contributions instrumental to the company’s success, Andrew retired to home life.
In those early Dallas years, Fran and Andrew discovered a new paradigm—co-parenting. Civilian life provided stability of place; they moved only once more, a half mile down the road a few years after their fifth child (and only true Texan) was born. Andrew became an actively present father in a way Navy life hadn’t allowed. The adventures were mostly inland now as Andrew became Captain of the Station Wagon, steering the family through multiple summer vacations, often “home” to Pennsylvania. It was important for Andrew and Fran to visit family and connect their children to their roots. When the family outgrew the station wagon it was on to the passenger van, customized in Dallas Cowboys' colors. To further prove his new Texas pride, he bought the kids a horse named Star and rode her from the stables to the family home one Christmas morning. Andrew made time to coach youth soccer for a few fantastic years and 6th-grade girls’ basketball for precisely one. Known affectionately as “the Tic-Tac man,” Andrew’s fondness for the mint was betrayed by the rattle in his pocket as he ran practices and checked on injured players. That rattle meant help was on its way. He later took on leadership roles at Saint Patrick Catholic Church, serving as president of the Parish Council and then the Men’s Club. The call to serve never left him, even in retirement. When a former EDS colleague asked if he would be willing to volunteer with a non-profit, he leveraged his exceptional management skills and became a volunteer CEO with Medisend, developing their business plan and shipping life-saving medical supplies and equipment to communities in need all over the world.
Retirement years also allowed Andrew and Fran time to enjoy trips to Italy, Great Britain, Canada, and Mexico, cruises around Alaska and off the coast of Spain, and multiple visits to see their children and grandchildren, good friends, and of course, dear relatives. Andrew and Fran’s loving partnership—a model of stability, respect, and service to one another—is inspiring to many but especially to their children. Andrew and Fran never took their blessings for granted, and their gratitude was present and visible in their daily lives together. As each of their children chose life partners, Andrew and Fran’s actions proved their unwavering belief in family unity. They let all spouses know they were vital to the team and that they brought great enrichment to their lives.
One of the great unifiers the family shared over the years was a love of music, a constant in Andrew’s life. Listening to Enrico Caruso as a child and performing in a high school operetta later led to a varied record collection and ultimately introducing his children to the wonderful “music of his life.” The joy he found in singing and dancing—actively participating in music—was apparent to anyone within earshot or in sight of him at a wedding reception. At church, his voice could be heard booming with spirit. He cherished his time performing with the Dallas Town North Barbershop Chorus and participating in the Society for the Preservation of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America, where he was named Barbershopper of the Year in 1982. At home, whenever Fran sat down to the piano, she would call him in to revisit a few of their favorites, even if he sometimes made up the words (and if they were in Italian, no one knew the difference).
Andrew loved to cook, especially for a crowd. Food was his love language, and he learned it from the best. His mother’s gnocchi and biscotti, his sister Marge’s ravioli and nut roll, and so many other family recipes handed down on index cards smeared with tomato sauce and dotted with butter—these are the smells and tastes of a lifetime of deliciousness. Andrew made homemade pizza for parties and kids’ sleepovers and turned regular Sunday dinners into feasts—often accompanied by somewhat challenging cleanups! But if you ate at Andrew and Fran's table, you left happy and full—and sometimes with leftovers.
Andrew always felt that his life after the brain surgery was a gift, and he paid it forward in countless acts of generosity and kindness to colleagues, relatives, friends, and even strangers who he quietly helped in times of trial or trouble. His life was centered around love for his family, pride in his heritage, a devout relationship with his Creator and Redeemer, and loyalty to the country that gave him, a first-generation American, so many opportunities.
In his final weeks, Andrew enjoyed visits and phone calls from loving family and friends. There were many happy hours laughing together and reminiscing about a life filled with love and adventure and gratitude for so many blessings. The binders of photos and family history that Andrew painstakingly assembled over the last 15 years tell the story of his life and the family he and Frances built together. What a precious gift to his children, their children, and the generations to come.
Andrew was predeceased by his parents and his beloved older sisters, Theresa and Marge. Left behind to cherish his memory are his beloved wife of 65 years, Frances, and their five children: Elisa and husband Pierre Donahue and their children, Carmella, Mia, and Dominic; Michele and husband Joseph Corr; Maria and husband James Stanley and their children Olivia and Anthony; Andrew and wife Kelly Sanford and their children Rocco, Ramona, Desmond, Augustus, and Ignatius; and Julia and wife Lynda Vargha and their son, Jude.
The entire family will be forever grateful to all the nurses, lab techs, doctors, nurse practitioners, and staff at Texas Oncology Infusion Center in Dallas, who provided outstanding care over the last 18 months of Andrew's life.
Andrew lived a life that exemplified the adage: service is the rent we pay for living. His family hopes that you might consider honoring him with service—whether it's to your family, your spouse, your community, your God, a cause, or your country.
Richard B. Nygaard (1/12/1935 - 7/11/2024)
Captain Richard “Dick” Nygaard of Virginia Beach, Virginia, passed away peacefully on July 11, 2024, surrounded by his loving family and leaving behind a legacy of love, kindness, and unwavering strength. He was 89 years old.
Dick was born on January 12, 1935, the son of Norma Jean and Donald P. Nygaard in the small town of Alcester, South Dakota (population 750). Graduating with honors from Alcester high school, Dick proudly earned an appointment to the United States Naval Academy and graduated with 20th company, class of 1957. As a midshipman, he was a member of the concert band, Chapel choir, and glee club, where he eventually met the love of his life, Sandra Barnum when they were singing the Messiah together.
After a June Week chapel wedding, he and Sandy began a distinguished 25 year adventure in the Navy Supply Corps. His career took them to duty stations in Athens Georgia, Naples Italy, Washington DC and Lawrence Kansas, where he earned a double masters in petroleum engineering and business management. From there, it was back to DC, then across the country to China Lake, California and up to Oakland, where he assumed the supply officer job on the USS San Jose. He finished his Naval career as deputy supply officer, Norfolk Naval Station, and in 1985 he began his second career as logistics and contract director with Mancon, finally retiring in 1998.
After retirement, Dick and Sandy lead an active life spending their winters at their Cayman Island condo and Summers in their motorhome, traveling throughout the United States and Canada. Known as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, Dick enjoyed spending time with his family more than anything else. He loved watching Navy football games with his son Steve (‘80),and countless hours with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, regaling them with stories of his and Sandy‘s RV adventures. Probably his greatest joy, however, was sharing their Cayman Island home, swimming and snorkeling with his sons and grand children.
Captain Nygaard was predeceased by his wife Sandra Nygaard, and is survived by his sons Steve and David Nygaard, his eight grandchildren and five great grandchildren. He and Sandy will be inured at the Naval Academy columbarium in Annapolis, Maryland on September 30, 2024.
Betty J. Blind (11/1/1934 - 6/10/2024)
Betty Jean Blind 89, passed away Monday, June 10th, 2024 at The Villages, Florida.
Betty is survived by her husband, Loren Lee Clark of The Villages, Florida. Sons, Steve Blind (Cindy) of Boone NC and Jay Blind of Sparta IL, granddaughters Stephanie Peattie (Jack) of Charlotte NC and Logan Barbour (Jonathan) of Steeleville IL, great- grandchildren Jack & Ben Peattie, Kolton Welty and Lynen Barbour.
Betty enjoyed traveling and going on adventures with her loving husband, Loren. Her granddaughters remember her for dressing them up in fancy outfits, taking many pictures and writing journals of their lives.
Betty’s family and friends will cherish the memories of her glowing personality and never ending love and compassion she bestowed on everyone.
Betty is preceded in death by her parents, Ray and Leona Knop. Aunts, Laverne Bixby and Darlene Pillers and friend of many years, Jim Blind.
Memorial donations may be made directly to:
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America
322 Eighth Avenue, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10001
James P. O’Neill (4/27/1935 - 8/19/2024)
James “J.P.” Patrick O’Neill Jr. passed away in his sleep on the morning of August 19, 2024, at the age of 89, after a long and challenging battle with dementia. He is free from pain and can finally rest, knowing that he lived a life full of love, kindness, integrity, service and valor. We will miss his infectious wit and sparkling blue eyes and wish badly we could sit around the dinner table to share good conversation and a belly laugh one more time. Jim was a leader you could look up to, forceful when he needed to be but never cruel, never boastful. Instead, he drew people to him with his quiet authenticity, intelligence and care. He was beloved by family and peers alike.
Jim was born in Kellogg, Idaho, on April 27, 1935, to parents James and Wilma O’Neill. When his mother, a cherished schoolteacher, was incapacitated by a stroke when Jim was 12, he and his sister Sally were embraced by their community and persevered through the devastation and heartache. He graduated from Kellogg High School in 1953, entered the U.S. Naval Academy, and was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy in 1957.Jim earned his wings in March 1959, and, after several years of flying off aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean and West Pacific, reported to VF-124 at NAS Miramar for 3 years as a combat flight instructor at the precursor to “Top Gun”. He met and married local beauty queen Louise Ann Muller April 19, 1964, starting their family and purchasing the hillside home in Pacific Beach that endures today.
Jim and his family were tested acutely in the years to come as the Vietnam War accelerated. He rose to the challenge through acts of bravery, selflessness and unwavering commitment to his brothers-in-arms. Across 3 combat tours, over 3000 total flight hours, and over 200 combat missions, Jim flew F-8 Crusaders in fighter and attack roles, ultimately assuming the position of XO (and then CO) for VF-211 in 1972. He was awarded 9 Strike/Flight Air medals and 3 Navy Commendation medals for his combat action, persisting through tours where up to half of his fellow pilots were captured or killed. In 1967, Jim was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his courage and deadliness in accelerating ahead of his strike group to destroy SAM and flak suppression sites during a combat mission against a Hanoi airfield.
The balance of Jim’s Navy career was similarly distinguishing. Jim was selected for astronaut training in 1965 and, to the enduring chagrin of his son born 6 years later, he chose to stay earthbound and put his talents to bear with his fellow sailors. In 1972, he moved to Monterey to complete a master’s degree in operations analytics at the Naval Postgraduate School. In 1976, he transferred to the Pentagon with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, focused on wargaming and Soviet engagement. He was promoted to Captain in 1978, and retired in 1983 after 26 years of service to begin his career in the private sector, working to the ripe age of 80.
Jim loved the outdoors and helping people. He led dozens of hikes with the Canyoneers of the San Diego Natural History Museum, sharing his love of desert and chaparral with numerous hikers. He was a docent at the USS Midway Museum for many years, logging 2238 volunteer hours and regaling countless visitors with his own tales as a naval aviator and Landing Signal Officer.
Finally, Jim was a deeply committed and caring father. He loved being a dad, taking his family hiking, sightseeing up and down the East Coast and coaching his son’s soccer teams to multiple championships. He held deep affection for his daughter, Erin, who guided him selflessly, and with profound care and compassion, through his final years.
Jim is survived by his amazing sister, Sally Fredericks, M.D., a spry 91 year old of Moscow, Idaho, his children Erin Gerta O’Neill and Kevin Patrick O’Neill (wife Amelya,) and his grandchildren Oliver James O’Neill (12), Pearl Adeline O’Neill (10), and Lily Corrina O’Neill (8).Services will be held on Saturday, October 12, 2024, at 10:00am, at Glenn Abbey Memorial Park and officiated by Rev. Dr. J. Wayman Wells of New Birth Church. A celebration of his life follows at the family home.
Louise Ann O’Neill (2/21/1937 - 12/17/2023)
Louise Ann O'Neill passed away in her sleep on the morning of December 17, 2023, in her longtime home in Pacific Beach.
She was born Louise Ann Muller in Rock Springs, Wyoming, on February 21, 1937, to parents Oswald and Gertrude Muller. Louise, her brother Ron, and parents frequented Wyoming in summers for fishing, rodeo and adventures, but the Mullers would make San Diego their permanent and beloved home. Louise graduated from Sweetwater High School in 1955 and married Navy Lieutenant James "J.P." Patrick O'Neill Jr. on April 19, 1964, at the North Chapel, NTC San Diego.
Louise was a firecracker who lived life on her own terms. She was unabashed about sharing her opinions on life, and the living of it. After high school, she took an extended trip around the world for six months, winding her way across Asia and Europe in the days before Google Maps and Translate, speaking no foreign languages herself and instead relying on charm and verve to get by. With her friend Dorothy, she wrangled a meet-n-greet with Elvis in front of Graceland in the early 60's. She wowed onlookers at many beauty contests across San Diego and National City as a young woman.
Louise loved her family very much. During the Vietnam War, with Jim deployed thrice, she raised her young family and deeply supported fellow Navy families through their shared absence, pain and loss. She begrudgingly made a go of Northern Virginia when Jim took a position at the Pentagon, navigating winter roads and the Beltway with a rear-wheel drive Dodge Dart and only one (claimed) spinout. She truly put her whole self into parenting, a consummate soccer mom of the Annandale Boys Club before the term even existed.
After Jim's retirement, the family returned to San Diego where Louise remained the rest of her days, raising her family, volunteering at Miramar MCAS Thrift Shop and enjoying the spectacular view from her casa spanning Mission Bay, downtown, and, on clear days, Tijuana and the Coronado Islands.
Louise is survived by her amazing husband of 59 years, Jim, her children Erin Gerta O'Neill and Kevin Patrick O'Neill (wife Amelya,) and her grandchildren Oliver James O'Neill (11), Pearl Adeline O'Neill (9), and Lily Corrina O'Neill (7).
Raymond l. Vieira ( 27 September 1933 - 15 July 2024)
Raymond L. Vieira, age 90, of New Bedford, MA, passed away on Monday, July 15, 2024 at St. Luke’s Hospital.
Raymond was born in New Bedford, MA and was the son of the late Manuel C. Vieira and Ernestine (Jeronymo) Vieira. He proudly served in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War era. He later went on to earn his bachelor’s degree and began his career in teaching in the New Bedford and Dartmouth Public School Systems until his retirement.
He is survived by his sister, Eileen Taylor and his brother, James Vieira; as well as several nieces and nephews.
Raymond’s viewing and funeral services were held on Friday, July 19, 2024.
Harmon B. Bell ( 9 June 1933 - 2 March 2023) Note: 2023!!
Harman Brown Bell III passed away peacefully on March 2,2023. Humpy was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on June 9, 1933. Being in a military family, he lived in many different cities around the country. After finishing high school in Virginia, Humpy served 2 years in the Navy and then attended the United States Naval Academy. After the Academy, he moved to Central Florida in 1956 and went to work for Florida Telephone as an Engineer. Over his 40-year career Humpy also contributed his time to several organizations, including being Director and President of the Leesburg Chamber of Commerce, United Way Leadership Club, and Board of Directors for the Florida Credit Union.
In December 1979, Humpy moved his family from Leesburg, FL to Mount Dora, FL. He continued to work for the phone company until his retirement on September 10, 1997. Humpy was an active member of St Patrick Catholic Church for 43 years. Outside of work-related activities, he was a very devoted friend to many, also active in many extracurricular activities, including travel softball for 15 years, tennis matches, and most importantly an avid hunter his entire life – getting his final turkey last year at 88 years old. In addition, Humpy was very proud to be an active member on the annual Turkey banquet committee for 20+ years! “Boy did he like to harass the turkeys in the springtime”
During his extraordinary life, Humpy enjoyed 57 years of marriage to his wife Jeanie; he was a devoted husband and father and never missed an opportunity to spend time with his family. Humpy and Jeanie were blessed with being able to travel together throughout the years; with their favorite trips being to Man-O-War Cay in the Abacos. Some of his best times included long talks and visits with his daughter Maria, hunting and fishing with his son Chris, and investing wisdom in his grandkids, Logan, Taylor, Hogan and Hunter. Humpy loved tinkering in what is otherwise known as “the garage”.
Humpy is preceded in death by his parents and sister. He is survived by his loving wife, Jeanie of Mt. Dora; daughter Maria Masters (Ted) of Austin, TX; son Chris Bell (Richelle) of Milton, GA; and four grandchildren, Logan Masters, Taylor Masters, Hogan Losch and Hunter Losch.
A Catholic Mass was held at St. Patrick Catholic Church on Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 9:00 AM. A Celebration of Life was held at Lakeside Inn following the Mass.
Dorothy Dunlap (19 December 1933 - 6 August 2024)
Dorothy Dunlap, ‘Dorri’, was born on December 19, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York and passed away on August 6, 2024. She was the daughter of the late Joseph and Catherine Denon and grew up surrounded by family which she was close to throughout her life. Dorri graduated from The College of William and Mary in Virginia, and married Stanton Dunlap shortly after he graduated from the Naval Academy in 1957. Being a Navy wife, Dorri lived in many places and raised her two sons, Stan Jr. and Chris, while her husband was deployed as a Naval Aviator. Dorri took immense pride in being a Navy wife and stepped up to those challenges, which were many. The role of a wife and parent becomes particularly noteworthy when you see your children flourish, and you see your husband’s career advance. Her husband, Stan attained the rank of Captain before his retirement. Dorri took immense pride in her husband’s accomplishments.
Afterwards they retired and lived in Fort Myers, Florida and when her husband, Stan passed away in 1996, Dorri returned to Virginia Beach where she would spend the rest of her life in the place she called home.
Throughout her life, Dorri was a teacher, a volunteer, an ardent genealogy hobbyist, and global traveler. She also cherished her three granddaughter’s: Abby Parks, Mariah Catherine, and Alyssa Anne, and played a very active part in their growing up. In the end, Dorri had a life well lived, had few regrets, and embraced the many big adventures that came her way.
The family would like to thank the many people at Westminster Canterbury in the Hoy Center, and the many family and friends who supported Dorri in her times of need. Dorothy will be laid to rest alongside her devoted husband at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. Online condolences may be offered at: www.altmeyerfuneralandcremation.com.
Joe Anne Loman, wife of Cleve, passed away on 2 July, 2024
No obituary available at present.
Harold D. Barker (August 14, 1933 - June 2, 2024)
Daughter Linda Pospisil sends:
Our dad, Doug Barker, passed away on June 2, 2024, at the assisted living facility where he was living. Dad Celebrated his 90th birthday August 14, 2023. Dad, a man of strong Christian faith, was deeply committed to his wife and all our family. He was known for his honorable, caring, kind, loving, and sacrificial nature. He was a faithful servant leader throughout his life.
Dad served in the United States Navy from 1957-1980, specializing in diesel submarines (1957-1971) He also served in various leadership roles until he retired in 1980. After his military service, dad pursued a career in ministry, serving as an associate pastor at Ames Evangelical Free Church in Iowa (1980-1986). He then became a founding pastor at Olympic Evangelical Free Church in Poulsbo, Washington, where he served until 1995. Dad also served as an interim pastor at Heritage Evangelical Free church in Castle Rock, Colorado. He dedicated himself to leading church youth groups alongside our mom and to discipling men in the Christina faith throughout his long life.
Dad is survived by his son, Paul Barker and wife Patty, daughters Linda Pospisil and husband Scott, Carolyn Davis and husband Skip, along with six grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by our mom, Donna, on December 25, 2021. Dad will be forever remembered and loved for his unwavering faith, dedication to family and service to his country and to the body of Christ.
Edwin K. Whiting (May 31, 2024)
Edwin Knapton Whiting of Maryville passed away on May 31st, 2024 at the age of 89.
Edwin was born in Seattle, Washington the first-born son of Edwin Cram Whiting and Marjorie Knapton Whiting. Edwin is survived by his wife, Valerie, his sister, Barbara, his son, Edwin Grady Whiting, his daughter, Amanda Whiting D'Aquila and grandchildren Edwin Ward, David and Victoria Whiting. He will be deeply missed by his family and friends.
Edwin was a United States Naval Academy Graduate, Veteran of the United States Air Force, former test pilot, and Veteran of the Vietnam war. Before moving into a career in government contracting and environmental safety which brought him to the area (specifically supporting work in Oak Ridge Tennessee), Edwin had lived across the US and worked abroad and domestically including a stint at the Pentagon. After retirement, Edwin became involved in local politics and served on the board of Mayor and Alderman for many years in the town of Farragut, Tennessee; he also held a leadership position at the local AARP chapter. He loved to bicycle and raced in countless century races often placing at the head of his age division and regularly earned winning times for the younger age brackets to his great delight. An avid reader, with interests in history and current events, upon moving to the Asbury community in Maryville, he could be found as his wife's trusty sidekick for unauthorized gardening escapades.
Edwin has been described by family and friends as intelligent, reliable, steadfast, and loyal: a beloved son, brother, husband, father and grandfather.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in honor of Edwin K Whiting to the National Museum of the United States Air Force https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/
John W. Russell (May 12, 2024)
John Russell, a 40-year Belvedere resident, passed away on May 12, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Born in Utah, John relocated to Oakland, CA, at the age of 5. He learned to sail on Lake Merritt shortly thereafter, beginning a lifelong love of sailing.
John attended Piedmont High, where he became a star football player. Continuing his passion for both football and sailing, he attended the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, where he helped win the 1955 Sugar Bowl football game.
After graduating from the Naval Academy, he began his tour of duty in Japan, where he fell in love with the country and flew “eggbeater” helicopters. Upon completion of his service, he returned to California and attended Stanford University, where he received his MBA. John went on to become a successful real-estate developer in California and Utah.
John had a long and memorable life, with his fondest memories spent sailing with his family, boating on Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake, skiing in Utah and Tahoe, and relaxing in the wine country with family and friends.
He is survived by his wife Barbara; two children, Carrie Kerwin and William Russell; and two stepchildren, Tyler Thompson and Tiffany Madvig. He is also survived by 11 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. He will be dearly missed by all. A family celebration is planned at the San Francisco Yacht Club to honor his life.
William Mickle (April 10,1935 - May 10, 2024)
William (Bill) Mickle passed away on May 10, 2024 in Potomac Falls, Virginia. Bill was born on April 10, 1935 in St. Augustine, Florida. After high school, Bill was selected for the US Naval Academy and graduated in 1957. During his first Naval assignment in San Diego, Bill met his future wife, Irena, a Navy nurse. Shortly after their marriage, Bill entered the Naval Submarine School in New London, CT and then received orders for Charleston, SC. The Mickle’s loved Charleston and had their children Billy, Kathryn and Richard while stationed there. Bill continued his military education in the American University School of International Studies and the Armed Forces Staff College. He also had assignments in Norfolk, the Pentagon , Italy, Hawaii and Chile, his family in tow. Bill retired after 30 years in the Navy and joined the private sector as a Program Manager at both TRW and SAIC. Irena passed away in 2016 and Bill (along with his dog Mimi and cat Nigel) decided to move to Falcons Landing in the spring of 2017 to be near two of his children in Reston. Bill is predeceased by his beloved wife, Irena. He is survived by his children Billy, Kathryn and Richard and several grandchildren.