Year 2005
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February 2005
Harold L. (Andy) Anderson passed away on November 24, 2004. Mary Maguire Anderson passed away June 10, 2003. Mary Maguire retired as Secretary to the Executive Secretary and Andy Anderson retired as Chief of the Administrative Branch (both on December 28, 1974 with over 37 years of service).
Esperanza M. Barbier, 89, died January 20, 2005. She was born in the Republic of Panama and came to Largo, Fla. in 1992 from Pensacola. She was a school teacher.
Jean E. Beeby, 87, of Titusville, Fla. passed away on June 15, 2004. She was the widow of the late Pastor William H. Beeby of the First Baptist Church of Balboa Heights, Canal Zone. They resided in the Canal Zone for 32 years and then moved to Titusville. Pastor Beeby died in April 1993.
Edward H. Browder, 71, of Niskayuna, N.Y. died on January 3, 2005. He was born in 1933 and grew up in the Panama Canal Zone, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1955, earned his MBA at Penn State University and served 23 years of active duty with the submarine service. Following his Navy retirement he worked primarily in the nuclear power industry.
Bruce E. Caldwell of Big Foot, Texas died February 1, 2005 after a short illness. He was born in Ancon in 1939 and graduated from BHS in 1957. After completing an enlistment in the Air Force in 1960, he returned to Panama where he worked with the postal service until 1969.
Paul Louis Elia Jr., 58, of Lusby, Md. died January 26, 2005. He was raised in the Panama Canal Zone and graduated from BHS in 1965. He was a Chief Petty Officer for 13 years with the U.S. Navy from 1964 to 1977 and remained an active reservist until retiring in 1991.
John Joseph Fallon, 84, of Dothan, Ala. died December 4, 2004. He moved to the Canal Zone in 1942, enlisted in the Army in WWII. After WWII, he returned to the Canal Zone and retired as chief of payroll branch in 1978.
Celeste Powell Fulton, 71, of Playa del Rey, Calif. died on December 8, 2004. She was born in Gorgas Hospitl and graduated from BHS in 1951. She attended Colorado A&M and Arizona State and graduated with a BA in Education in 1955, and eventually received her Master’s Degree in California. After a long teaching career in the California school system, she retired in 1993.
Paul Gorin, 83, of Boca Raton, Fla. passed away on October 15, 2004. He moved to Colon in 1926 with his family, graduated from CHS, and served in the U.S. Army at Fort Sherman. He and his wife Clara Nathanson spent many years in Colon.
Margaret C. Grier, 84, of Fullerton, Calif. died January 2, 2005. She was born in the Panama Canal Zone on October 24, 1920. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in political science and public administration from the University of Chicago, and her Master’s Degree in sociology and criminology from Whittier College. She worked for the Red Cross in Europe in WWII, in Orange County from 1948 to 1981, and spent her retirement years traveling the world.
Evelyn G. Hayes, 93, of St. Petersburg, Fla. died September 21, 2004. She was the widow of the late Troy Hayes, Past President of the Panama Canal Society (1957-1958).
Jean Dennis Herbert died October 20, 2004 in Trenton, N.J. She was born in Colon in 1918 and graduated from BHS in 1937. She graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1942 from McKinley Hospital and retired from active nursing there in 1980 but continued as a volunteer until 1994.
Theodore “Ted Kaufer, 79, of Tampa, Fla. passed away on November 8, 2004. He was born in Ancon, Canal Zone and graduated from CHS in 1942 and also graduated from Texas A&M University. He worked for the Panama Canal Company at the Mt. Hope Oil Handling Plant for 28 years.
Thomas J. LaPatka, 87, of St. Petersburg, Fla. died December 13, 2004. He retired as an Army lieutenant colonel in 1970 after 30 years of service and came to Florida from the Panama Canal Zone in 1971.
F. Earl Linkogle, 80, of St. Petersburg, Fla. died December 3, 2004. He retired as a chief mechanical engineer after 11 years of service for the Panama Canal Commission.
March 2005
Manuel H. Arosemena, 81, of Palm Harbor, Fla. died February 21, 2005 at home. He retired as an engineer in 1980 from the Panama Canal Co. and was a member of the Panama Canal Society.
Jean E. Beeby, 87, of Titusville, Fla. passed away on June 15, 2004. She was the widow of the Reverend William H. Beeby of the Balboa Heights Baptist Church. They resided in the Canal Zone for 32 years until his retirement and their move to Titusville.
Curtis Hart Bliss, 83, passed away February 14, 2005 in Rockledge, Fla. after a short illness. He was born in the Canal Zone and graduated from CZJC in 1939 before serving in the U.S. Army during 1945 and 1946. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.
Ricardo Burton, 50, of St. Petersburg, Fla. died February 9, 2005. He was born in the Panama Canal Zone and came to Florida 14 years ago from Indianapolis.
Milton Cohen, 85, died November 18, 2004 in San Diego, Calif. He served 31 years with the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps and was the Assistant Health Director from 1961 to 1966 with offices in both the Administration Building and Gorgas Hospital.
Willie Marie Duvall, 82, of St. Petersburg, died February 24, 2005. She moved to St. Petersburg in 1974 from the Panama Canal Zone, where she graduated from Cristobal High School in 1941 and attended Canal Zone Junior College. She was a clerk in the Panama Canal Zone for 20 years.
Doris (Conner) Fredette, 79, passed away on January 30, 2005. Doris went to the Canal Zone as a youngster, graduated from Balboa High School in 1944, then trained as a cadet nurse at the Mayo Clinic. Both she and her husband attended the yearly get-togethers of the BHS Class of 1944.
Curtis Henry George, 95, of Huntsville, Ala. died on February 9, 2005 following a brief illness. In 1941 he accepted a job with the Panama Canal Company and moved his family to Panama. He remained there until his retirement in May 1971 as electrician foreman. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.
Doris Susan “Sue Barfield” Greer, 59, passed away November 4, 2004 at home in Monroe, La. She graduated from Cristobal High School in 1963, attended secretarial school in New Orleans then transferred to Monroe where she graduated and married. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.
Capt. C. W. “Bill” Lewis, 85, passed away February 1, 2005 in St. Augustine, Fla. He moved to Panama in 1951 where he worked as a Panama Canal Pilot and, ultimately, Port Captain, Cristobal until his retirement in 1979.
Richard Lewis Pennington, Jr., 59, of Hermiston, Ore. died January 28, 2005. He was born in Margarita, Canal Zone, grew up and attended schools in the Canal Zone then joined the Navy. He returned to the Canal Zone where he worked as a police officer until 1978. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.
Marion Schjeveland Thompson, 74, passed away in Atlantis, Fla. on September 25, 2003. She spent most of her childhood in the Canal Zone, graduating from Balboa High School in 1947 and Canal Zone Junior College in 1949. Her parents and grandparents were all Panama Canal retirees.
J. Morton “Mort” Thomson, Jr. of Memphis, Tenn. died December 11, 2004. He joined the U. S. Navy and at the end of World War II was stationed at Coco Solo Naval Station in the Canal Zone. He married Macel Goulet, returned to Pennsylvania to finish law school, and in 1950 took a position as Counsel to the Governor of the Canal Zone. He was Assistant District Attorney for the Canal Zone until 1966 when he and his family returned to the United States.
April 2005
Esperanza M. Barbier, 89, of Largo, Fla. died January 20, 2005 at Sun Coast Hospital, Largo. She was born in the Republic of Panama and came to Largo in 1992 from Pensacola. She was a school teacher.
Robert W. (Bill) Barnes, 79, of Tampa, Fla. passed away July 10, 2004. He worked on the construction of the Bridge of the Americas in 1962 and then returned to the Canal Zone in 1964 to work for the Maintenance Division. He retired as a foreman from the Maintenance Division in 1984.
Bruce E. Caldwell of Big Foot, Texas died February 1, 2005. He was born in Ancon, Canal Zone on November 21, 1939. After enlisting in the Air Force in 1960, he returned to Panama where he worked with the postal service until 1969.
Gordon H. Dalton, 88, died March 25, 2005 in Pinehurst, N.C. of cancer. After World War II, he became a purser aboard the Panama Line’s S.S. Cristobal, where he met Margaret Stapleton and they married in 1947. During the 1960s, he opened his own travel agency. The Daltons left Panama in 1974.
Juan “Johnny” Durán, 77, passed away February 6, 2005 in Montclair, N.J. Although the family lived in Panama, Johnny attended Canal Zone schools most of his life and graduated with honors from BHS in 1945. He worked all of his life in the coffee business, first in the family business in Panama and later in the New Jersey and New York areas.
Paul Louis Elia, Jr., 58, of Lusby, Md. died on January 12, 2005. Paul was raised in the Canal Zone. He served in the U.S. Navy as a Chief Petty Officer for 13 years from 1964 to 1977 and was an active reservist until he retired in 1991.
Captain William Farrell, 74, passed away on February 1, 2005 in St. Augustine, Fla. He served two years in the U.S. Navy and joined the Panama Canal organization as a ship’s pilot in 1960 and retired in September 1992.
Peter Germain Flynn, 74, passed away in Chatsworth, Calif. on March 10, 2005. He was born in Gorgas Hospital and graduated from BHS in 1949. His parents and grandparents were all residents of the Canal Zone and his maternal grandfather Richard Roberts was a Roosevelt Medal holder. His maternal grandfather and his father Peter Germain Flynn Sr. both worked on the construction of the Panama Canal.
Margaret C. Grier, 84, of Fullerton, Calif. passed away on January 2, 2005. She was born in the Panama Canal Zone where her father was an engineer during the construction of the canal. She graduated from BHS and left the Canal Zone to attend college and work in the United States.
Jean Dennis Herbert passed away October 20, 2004 in Trenton, N.J. She was the daughter and granddaughter of Roosevelt Medal holders. She was born in Colon and graduated from BHS in 1937. After graduation, she became a Registered Nurse in 1942 and worked until 1994 in that capacity.
Daile D. Keigley died in Nashville, Tenn. on March 10, 2005. He went to the Canal Zone in June of 1938 with the U.S. Army and after his discharge on May 4, 1940, he joined the Panama Canal Company as an accountant. He retired in 1969 as Chief of the Reports and Analysis Staff in the Comptroller’s Office.
Patricia L. Koenig, 72, passed away on September 21, 2003 in Hollister, Calif. She was born in the Panama Canal Zone and graduated with honors from CHS. She was a champion swimmer and diver in the 1940s. She worked for many years in social work in California.
Helen D. Ledgerwood, 93, of Seminole, Fla. died March 24, 2005. She went to the Canal Zone in December 1939 where she raised her family. She was an accountant in the Payroll Branch of the Comptroller Division and was a night and weekend auditor for the Canal Zone Credit Union until her retirement in 1964.
Josephine “Jo” Elizabeth Marquard, 82, died October 17, 2004 in Kingwood, Texas. She moved with her family to the Canal Zone and graduated from CHS in 1942. She and her husband Warren lived on the Atlantic and Pacific sides and retired to San Jose, Calif. in 1970. They moved to Kingwood in 1995.
Alice F. Myers, 78, of Spring Hill, Fla. died February 16, 2005. She moved to Spring Hill from her native Ancon, Panama in 1983.
Berta Isabel (Escobar y Garcia de Paredes) Quinn, 97, of Panama City, R.P., passed away on August 16, 2004. She was the widow of Marcus Patrick Quinn, Roosevelt Medal descendant, who died in 1977. She retired from the Internal Security Office of the Panama Canal Company.
May 2008
Stephen G. Allen (CHS’69) passed away March 28, 2005. He moved to the Canal Zone in 1954 with his parents. After graduation he joined the U.S. Army and later moved to Colorado Springs, Colo.
Manuel Arosemena, 81, of Palm Harbor, Fla. died February 21, 2005 at home. He came to Florida in 1980 from his native Panama, where he retired as an engineer from the Panama Canal Co. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society, Inc.
Mitchell Joseph Blanchette, 52, died while on a visit to the Republic of Panama on March 20, 2005. He went to Panama in August 1966 and graduated from CHS in 1970. He served an electrical apprenticeship and later worked as a Construction Division inspector.
Auristela (aka Mami Schmidt or “Stella”) S. Carballeira passed away on April 5, 2005 in Santurce, Puerto Rico. She was born in Panama City and graduated from BHS in 1947. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.
Helen Emily Collister, 92, of La Mesa, Calif. passed away on April 18, 2005. She and her late husband, Loren, lived in Curundu where he worked for IAGS.
Virginia Simms Covington of Hampton, Va. passed away February 11, 2005. Virginia was born in Ancon, Canal Zone and graduated from BHS in 1937 and married Robert Covington that same year. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.
Theodore E. Englebright, Jr., 71, died March 24, 2005. Teddy graduated from CHS in 1952. After graduation, he joined the Navy in San Diego, Calif. where he was stationed for six years. He married and lived in La Mirada, Calif. and later moved to Topock, Ariz.
Kalie Elizabeth Foster, 32 days old, died at home of SIDS on January 3, 2005. She was the daughter of Robert Foster and Erin Mullins of Lakeland, Fla. and the granddaughter of Dennis and Edna (Morales) (CHS’62) Foster of Waynesville, N.C.
Jeannette A. Hamilton, 57, of Merritt Island, Fla. died April 10, 2005. Born in the Panama Canal Zone she had lived in Brevard County for the last 36 years.
Virginia (Woodhull) Morland of Pinehurst, N.C. died April 2, 2005. She and her family moved to Panama in 1916 and she graduated from BHS in 1930 and married Gilbert Morland in 1934. They were longtime residents of the
Atlantic side where Mr. Morland owned and operated C. B. Fenton & Co. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.
Carl W. Reynolds, 82, of Austin, Texas passed away March 27, 2005. He served an apprenticeship as a machinist in Kentucky and worked at Wright-Patterson AFB and later transferred to the Panama Air Depot. He later secured a position with the Panama Canal Co. and retired from the Locks Division in 1979 as a Lockmaster with 37 years of service. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.
Frances Fanning Sampsell, 90, passed away on April 23, 2005. Mrs. Sampsell was an educator and in 1952 she went to the Canal Zone where she served as a teacher, an elementary principal, Supervisor of Instruction, Elementary Schools, and Assistant Superintendent in charge of Elementary Schools. She spent a total of thirty-eight years in education. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.
Leo Sousa, 96, of Pinellas Park, Fla. died March 31, 2005 in St. Petersburg. He came to Florida in 1974 from the Panama Canal Zone. He retired as a major in the Army after 21 years and was a member of the Civil Service for 11 years.
Laura V. Spencer, 89, died on April 16, 2005 in Stuart, Fla. She lived in Palm City, Fla. for 35 years coming from Balboa in the Canal Zone with her late husband William W. Spencer.
Lillian M. “Carlie” Taber, 93, of Seminole, Fla. died May 11, 2005 at Sun Coast Hospital, Largo. She came to Florida in 1967 from the Panama Canal Zone. She was a home health nurse in Boston before going to the Canal Zone. She was predeceased by her husband Jack Taber in 2001. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.
Sarah “Sue” Reynolds Wall, 90, passed away on November 19, 2004. She was born in Colon and graduated from BHS in 1931, attended Canal Zone Junior College, worked in the Admin Building Library and then in Personnel before joining her family in Baltimore in 1936.
Marion B. “Woody” Woodruff, 82, Pinellas Park, Fla. died May 11, 2005. He was born in Cristobal, Canal Zone and came to Florida in 2000 from Dothan, Ala. He was a towing locomotive operator for the Panama Canal for more than 38 years. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.
July 2008
Alice Faye Tucker Albritton of Salem, Ore. passed away May 25, 2005. She lived in Curundu and graduated from BHS in 1953 and later married David Albritton (BHS’51). She was a Navy Fighter Pilot’s wife until David retired in 1983.
Querida M. Berger passed away in Bradenton, Fla. on November 14, 2004. In the 1940s, she went to the Canal Zone as a nurse at Gorgas Hospital where she met and married Dr. I. Robert Berger. During her career as a hospital nurse, she worked in many different areas until she retired in 1972.
James Walter Braswell Jr., 93, of Wilmington, N.C. died May 20, 2005. He worked at Corozal as an Engineer and resided in Curundu from 1964-1969.
Eula Reno Driscoll, 92, of Greenville, S.C. died May 13, 2005. She was a teacher and she taught at the Canal Zone Junior College in Balboa, Panama.
Gertrude H. Gibson, born in Gorgona, Canal Zone on November 16, 1910, died May 30, 2005 in San Diego, Calif. Mrs. Gibson danced ballet professionally and then taught dance classes to many young students in the Canal Zone. She was later employed with the Electrical Division until 1953.
John R. Gough Sr., 80, of Marrero, La. passed away April 11, 2005. John arrived in the Panama Canal Zone with the Army Air Corps in 1943. He worked for the Army Audit Agency and later moved to the Budget and Rates Division of the Panama Canal Company until retiring in 1979.
Ed Hepner, 78, of Winter Haven, Fla. died June 18, 2005. He lived in the Panama Canal Zone from 1965 where he worked as a marine machinist foreman at Mt. Hope Industrial Division and a planner and estimator until retiring in 1987.
Margaret (Peggy) Sealey Hutchison, 87, of Aiken, S.C. died May 29, 2005. She was born in Ancon, Canal Zone, graduated from BHS in 1935, attended two years of CZJC and married Donald P. Hutchison in 1938. She worked as a Secretary for HQ USSOUTHCOM and resigned in 1975 with 19 years of service when her husband retired. Peggy was the Canal Record reporter for South Carolina.
Claire Helene Jaworski, 65, died June 17, 2004 in Alexandria, Va. She was known to Health Bureau personnel through her husband Gene Jaworski who worked at Gorgas, Coco Solo, and military hospitals.
Paul William “Pablo” Kramer, 78, of Portland, Texas, passed away May 25, 2005. He moved to Panama at age 14 and graduated from BHS in 1946. He served a four-year machinist apprenticeship for the Panama Canal. After serving two years in the Marine Corps, he returned to the Panama Canal where he worked until his retirement in 1985.
Diane “Pat” McCay, 88, of Port Charlotte, Fla., formerly of St. Petersburg, died May 12, 2005. She came to Florida in 1935 when her father, an engineer for the Panama Canal, relocated to Miami.
Evangeline Theresa Melant, 80, died March 16, 2005 in Georgetown, Texas. She began her civil service career as an IRS auditor during WWII. Evangeline met and married Victor C. Melant and they moved to the Canal Zone where she continued her government career as a secretary for the U.S. Navy. She continued to work for the Armed Forces until retiring in 1999.
Frances Fanning Sampsell, 90, passed away on April 23, 2005. Mrs. Sampsell began her career as an educator in Lincoln County, Tenn. in 1939. In 1952, she went to the Canal Zone where she served as a teacher; elementary principal; Supervisor of Instruction and Assistant Superintendent, Elementary Schools. Upon her retirement, she was presented a Keeper of Children’s Minds plaque from Governor Parfitt, the last U.S. governor of the Canal Zone.
Fred Weade, 94, passed away this past April 2005 in Colorado. He started work as a pilot on the Panama Canal in 1941. He was an active Elks Club Lodge 1414 member until his death. He was also a 32nd degree Mason and active in the Shriners.
August 2005
Donald L. Adams, 79, died June 22, 2005 in San Antonio. He worked for Sea Level Canal Studies in Panama during 1966. He married Catherine Ridge (BHS’60) and went on to work for the Panama Canal Company until 1980.
Yolanda Alemán de Canfield, 77, passed away June 12, 2005. She was the Secretary of the Incentive Awards Committee for the Panama Canal Company for many years.
Lola Cheeseman, 98, of Jacksonville Beach, Fla. died April 28, 2005. She went to Panama in the early 1930s. She operated beauty shops on 4th of July Avenue and in the El Panama Hotel.
Mary L. Crawford, 94, passed away in Grand Ledge, Mich. on March 19, 2005. Mary went to the Canal Zone in 1940 with her husband, lived in Balboa and moved to Cristobal in 1951. She worked for the U.S. Army at Ft. Gulick and retired in 1975.
Sheila LaMar (Leach) Egger passed away May 21, 2005 in Fayetteville, N.C. She was born in Ancon, Canal Zone and remained there until her late husband, Richard Owen Egger Sr., retired in 1988.
Bobbie May Styles Field, 82, passed away June 1, 2005 in Santa Rosa, Calif. She was born in Ancon, Canal Zone and attended Cristobal High School.
Kerner E. Frauenheim, 92, passed away July 4, 2005 in Jacksonville Beach, Fla. He went to work for the Navy in the Canal Zone in 1940. He later transferred to the Service Centers Division where he worked primarily at Diablo Clubhouse and the Tivoli Hotel. He retired in 1972.
William Robert Gamble Jr., 46, died July 3, 2005. He was born in Ancon, Canal Zone. He was commissioned in the U.S. Army and later served in Panama with the 10th Infantry stationed at Ft. Davis, Canal Zone.
Jean Carleton Hill, 85, died June 25, 2005 in North Berwick, Maine. She and her late husband M. Chester Hill resided in the Canal Zone where she was a past and present member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Ancon.
Ben “Uncle Benny” Horton died May 1, 2005. He grew up in the Canal Zone and graduated from Balboa High School in 1962/63. He was a Canal Zone Police Officer and lived in Balboa in the ‘70s and in Los Rios in the ‘80s.
Gilbert Marcum, 82, of Hallandale, Fla. died June 30, 2005. He was stationed in Quarry Heights before WW II, served in the European Theater during the war and returned to Panama afterwards. A Curundu resident until 1964, he was very active in the VFW and youth baseball leagues there.
Dawn M. Morgan, 49, of Altamonte Springs, Fla. died June 22, 2005. She graduated from Cristobal High School in 1975. Her father worked for the Panama Railroad and Gatun Locks.
Samuel G. Newhard, 66, of Tiffin, Ohio died June 7, 2005. He was born in Ancon and graduated from Cristobal High School in 1957. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and retired from United Insurance Service in 2001.
R. David Otten, 63, of Lakeland, Fla. died January 29, 2005. He graduated from Balboa High School in 1954.
Willie James Pope, 74, of Winston-Salem, N.C. died February 15, 2005. He was stationed in the Canal Zone where he met and married Margaret Howell. They returned to Winston-Salem.
Linda Mae Wong Redfern, 69, passed away June 19, 2005 in Orlando, Fla. She was born in Colon, R. de P. She retired from the Panama Canal Commission in 1987.
Charles Joseph “Joe” Roth-Roffy, 85, died April 30, 2005 in Fayetteville, N.C. He was a WW II veteran and retired from Community Services of the Panama Canal Company in 1980.
Paul Rozmeski, 73, of Lutz, Fla. died July 16, 2005. He was stationed with the U.S. Army at Ft. Kobbe. He joined the Panama Canal Company in 1954 at the Cristobal Commissary and later joined the Cristobal Police Department and retired as a Detective in 1980.
Judith Sigl Weber passed away April 14, 2005 in Waterford, Mich. Her family moved to Panama in 1943 where she attended Balboa Elementary School, St. Mary’s School and graduated from Balboa High School in 1957.
Billy Charles Winford, 66, of Wesley Chapel, Fla. died June 9, 2005. He went to Panama at age 9 and graduated from Balboa High School in 1956. He completed an electronics apprenticeship with the Panama Canal Company and worked for the Electronics Division until retiring in 1998
September 2005
Lois Ruth Hohmann Engel, 78, died August 14, 2005 in Delaware, Ohio. She was born in the Republic of Panama, attended school in both Balboa and Cristobal, and graduated from Balboa High School in 1944. She attended college in West Virginia and Virginia, married in 1949 and lived in Queens, N.Y. until 1969. At that time she and her family moved to St. Petersburg, Fla. until she retired in 1990.
William Robert Gamble Jr., 46, died July 3, 2005. He was born in Ancon, Canal Zone in 1959, the son of William and Arlene (Lim) Gamble. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army upon graduation from Texas A&M and later served in Panama as the S2 of the 4th Battalion, 10th Infantry, stationed at Ft. Davis.
Sara Ann “Sally” Hickman, 67, of Largo, Fla. died August 2, 2005. She spent her early years in the Panama Canal Zone. She moved to Largo in 2001.
Willie James Pope, 74, of Winston-Salem, N.C. died February 15, 2005. He served in the U.S. Army Signal Corp during the Korean Conflict and was stationed in the Canal Zone, where he met and married Margaret Howell in 1954.
Daniel Bryant Rambo, 96, of Kingman, Ariz. died July 24, 2005. No further information is available.
October 2005
Jeremy Carter-Pinson, 26, of Seminole, Fla. died September 16, 2005. He was born in Panama City, Panama and moved to Seminole in 2003 from Atlanta.
Jimmy I. Gewin, 50, died suddenly in Pompano Beach, Fla. on August 6, 2005. He moved with his family to the Canal Zone in 1965 where they resided in Gatun. He graduated from Cristobal High School in 1972.
Shirley Ann Beasley Carlson Givonetti, 77, of Sandy, Utah, died September 23, 2005. She graduated from Cristobal High School in 1946. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society, Inc.
Carolyn (Glenn) Johnson, 77, died in Clearwater, Fla. on September 9, 2005. She went to the Canal Zone with her family in 1940 and graduated from Balboa High School in 1946. She retired from government service under the early retirement provisions of the Treaty of 1979. She and her husband, Robert Johnson, retired in 1980 to Kissimmee, Fla. and moved to the Tampa area in 1988. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society, Inc.
Gladys Esther Dean Lasher, 85, of Vancouver, Wash., died August 18, 2005. She moved to the Canal Zone in 1938 with her husband Glenn and was very active in civic and church activities. She also worked in the Fort Davis, Gatun and Coco Solo Libraries.
Dona R. LePage, 77, of Manchaca, Texas, died August 18, 2005. Dona was an Occupational Therapist and served in the U.S. Army. She worked as an Occupational Therapist at the Corozal Mental Hospital until her retirement in 1981. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society, Inc.
Matilda Heckman McConaghy, 93, of Clearwater, Fla. died September 12, 2005. She was a registered nurse for the government and received a transfer to Gorgas Hospital in the Canal Zone. She retired in 1975 and was a member of the Panama Canal Society, Inc.
Fred A. Newhard Jr., 61, died September 9, 2005 in Pleasant Valley, N.Y. He was born at the Margarita Hospital and grew up in Gatun and graduated from Cristobal High School in 1963.
Father Paul (Carlos) Bogart Rankin, C.S.C., 92, died on August 2, 2005 in Notre Dame, Ind. He was born in Ancon, Canal Zone and attended elementary school in Cristobal, Costa Rica, Honduras and New Orleans. His secondary education was in Cristobal. He was ordained a priest at St. Mary’s Church, Balboa, Canal Zone, making him the first priest to be ordained in Panama or the Canal Zone.
Eleanor Jane Sykes, 76, of Diamond City, AR. died September 23, 2005. She moved to the Canal Zone with her husband and family in 1960 where they lived in Gamboa until retiring in 1980. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society, Inc.
Jeanne A. Wood, 83, of Kennewick, Wash., died August 7, 2005. She was an RN and joined the Army Nurse Corp. She traveled to the Canal Zone to work and married her husband in 1948. In 1953, the family moved to Washington state. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society, Inc.
December 2005
Lois De La Mater Bates, 87, died October 19, 2005 in Honolulu, Hawaii. She was born and raised in the Canal Zone, graduated from Cristobal High School in 1935, and was Carnival Queen in 1941. She worked for various government agencies in the Canal Zone, the USA and the Pacific Theater. She was the former reporter for Hawaii for many years for the Canal Record.
Phillip “Lucky” Casaus of Broken Arrow, Okla. died August 20, 2005 after a two-year battle with cancer. He had recently attended his 45th high school reunion from Balboa High School in Orlando.
Edward Doolan died in Sarasota, Fla. on November 10, 2005. After graduating from Cornell University with a Masters Degree in 1941 he moved to the Canal Zone where he was a member of the original Panama Canal Company staff of bureau directors, being named Director of Personnel in 1950. He retired in 1973 to Sarasota.
Michael Fanning died unexpectedly on October 28, 2005 in Cape Cod, Mass. No further information is available.
Charles Clayton Fears II, 90, of Blairsville, Ga. died August 15, 2005 at San Fernando Clinic in Panama. He moved to the Canal Zone in 1942 where he began his career with the Canal Zone Police and retired in 1972 as Captain; District Commander of the Pacific side.
Mary E. Kutzbach Hanna, 86, of Clearwater, Fla. died on September 23, 2005. In 1939, she visited the Atlantic side of the Isthmus. While there, she applied for a civil service position and began working for the Army at France Field. Then she met and married Robert K. Hanna in 1941. She retired as the Gorgas Hospital Cashier in 1971.
Mary H. Kelly, 89, of Liberty Township, Mich. died October 2, 2005. She was preceded in death by her husband Herbert G., who was an electrician for the Panama Canal Company from 1939-1964.
Royce Barham Lewis, 87, died October 11, 2005 in Las Cruces, N.M. He moved to the Canal Zone where his father worked on the railroad. He graduated from Balboa High School in 1935, and apprenticed with the Panama Canal Electrical Division.
Warren D. “Mark” Marquard, 90, died July 17, 2005 in Kingwood, Texas. In 1933 he moved to the Canal Zone where he worked in commissaries on both sides of the Isthmus. In 1970 when he retired, he was Manager of the commissaries and clubhouses on the Atlantic side.
Joseph W. “Joe” Massengill, 67, of St. Petersburg, Fla. died October 25, 2005. He was the husband of Panama Canal Society member Jo-Anne Bonk Massengill.
Eleanor (Ellie) Mayo, 77, of Palm Bay, Fla. died September 15, 2005. She was married to Lt. Col. Ret. Frank Mayo, who graduated from Balboa High School in 1951.
Donnalee Marie McHenry died in Brentwood, Calif. on March 8, 2005. After WWII her family moved to Panama, where her father was employed by the Glidden Paint Company. Donna graduated from high school and attended college in the Canal Zone.
William B. Michaelsen, 91, died November 25, 2005 in Mystic, Conn. He was born in Nicaragua where his father was a telegrapher for the All America Cable Co. He spent the first 20 years of his life in the Canal Zone where he lived in Cable Heights and graduated from Balboa High School in 1932.
Jackie Carl “Jack” Prather, 69, died August 29, 2005 in Biloxi, Miss. as a result of Hurricane Katrina. He retired from the U.S. Army in 1976 and was later employed with civil service for 20 years as a manager of commissaries in various locations.
Carl O. Riggs Jr., 86, a retired naval officer and professional engineer, died September 29, 2005. In 1969, he was employed with the Panama Canal Company, first as a shipyard manager, then as a staff engineer. He retired to Clearwater in 1979.
Kenneth S. Stone, 66, of Mission Hills, Calif. died on November 15, 2005. He was born in the Canal Zone and graduated from Cristobal High School in 1957.
James E. Stuart, 98, of Charlton, Mass. died December 25, 2004. He was employed in the Panama Canal Zone from 1940-1968 as an engineer on the locks and dams.
Roger H. Swain, 82, died August 5, 2005 at home following a long illness. In 1952, he became a pilot in the Panama Canal Zone and retired as a pilot in 1980 after 27 years.
Heywood Bridger Tatem Jr., 86, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. died October 4, 2005. He was the husband of Panama Canal Society member Lee Van Siclen Tatem who graduated from Cristobal High School in 1948.
Hilda (Martens) Webber, 91, of Centerville, Mass. died November 26, 2005. She was a registered nurse and graduated from Morton Plant Hospital School of Nursing in Clearwater. During WWII, she worked as a civilian nurse in Panama.
Alice (Westman) Betancourt Weigold, 91, of Sanibel Island, Fla. died September 12, 2005. She moved to Panama when she was a toddler and went to Canal Zone Schools. She worked for several years at the Panama Hospital and then for the Navy in Ft. Amador. |